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Why Buying Out Ondrej Palat Never Made Sense
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- Why Buying Out Ondrej Palat Never Made Sense
The New York Islanders officially cannot use any buyouts this offseason, with their second and final window shutting Monday night .
The only true candidate in most fans' minds had been Ondrej Palat , who the Islanders acquired from the New Jersey Devils in late January.
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Palat, 35, struggled mightily as an Islander and in 2025-26 as a whole, and posted just one goal and four assists in 29 games with New York. He recorded just four goals with six assists in 51 games for New Jersey before the deal.
The veteran forward has one year remaining on his deal with $6 million cap hit.
If the Islanders had bought out Palat, his cap hit for the 2026-27 season would have been $2.7 million, saving the Islanders $3.3 million. However, the Islanders would have a dead hit for Palat on the books at $1.65 million for the 2027-28 season.
That alone right there is reason enough to keep Palat. The Islanders have cap space and flexibility for 2026-27. There is no need to use a buyout that would humiliate a veteran and player who willingly waived his no-trade clause to come to Long Island this late in the summer.
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That's before incurring what would be a wildly unnecessary dead cap hit for the 2027-28 season. Still, some online fans have consistently clamored for a Palat buyout for a multitude of reasons.
It doesn't make sense, but let's talk about the two biggest arguments that have circulated:
Reason #1: Potential Rookie Bonus Overage Charges
First, let's do the simple math and walk through how Islanders' General Manager Mathieu Darche strategically built his cap around Matthew Schaefer 's likely $3.5 million bonus.
The Islanders currently have $2.93 million in cap space with 14 forwards, 7 defenseman, and 3 goalies on the roster.
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After waiving Vitek Vanecek and having likely sent to Hamilton, that number grows to $3.93 million, a number notable for one big reason.
Matthew Schaefer will likely hit all of his bonuses for his entry-level deal, which incurs a $3.5 million cap hit, one that has been added to the Islanders' 2026-27 cap due to being in LTIR overage money last season and couldn't afford the hit `otherwise.
This year, Darche strategically built his cap around such a plan, allowing the entirety of Schaefer's bonuses to be absorbed, as the team also accrues cap space for any potential trade deadline adds.
Some have begun to ask what if Victor Eklund receives performance bonuses, a valid potential question.
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While it's possible, Eklund would need to have a Schaefer-level rookie season to come close to such a big cap number. If Eklund plays the full season on Long Island, it's likely he achieves multiple "A" level bonuses, which max out at a $1 million cap hit total.
While that would put the Islanders at risk for a slight overage charge, it's notably less than what a Palat buyout would cost.
Now, if Eklund's on the NHL roster, someone else isn't. Palat can't be waived or sent down due to his no-move clause.
However, Pierre Engvall is a candidate to be buried, and if he is sent down, over $1 million of his deal comes off the books.
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So, to summarize, the Islanders have space to absorb all rookie bonuses on their cap for the 2026-27 season, point-blank.
Reason #2: Palat's Blocking a Roster Spot
Easily the single most common and cited reason for people clamoring for a Palat buyout is he's blocking a lineup spot while also taking up a lineup spot from one of the kids.
This isn't true.
Palat will be competing for a spot on New York's fourth line with Kyle MacLean , Pierre Engvall, and Mitchell Chaffee .
Of those players, two will likely begin the year as the Islanders' wingers around presumptive fourth-line center Casey Cizikas .
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It's not fully known how new Head Coach Pete DeBoer wants to set up the lineup, but one way could look something like this, including Palat:
Duclair/Heineman-Horvat-Palmieri
Ritchie-Barzal-Schenn
Maccelli-Pageau-Holmstrom
Palat/MacLean/Engvall-Cizikas-Heineman/Duclair
If Eklund makes the team, he would be on Bo Horvat 's line, one would think. That'd make it a given one of Engvall or MacLean would be waived and demoted to Hamilton to start the year.
The lines would then likely look something like this:
Eklund-Horvat-Palmieri
Ritchie-Barzal-Schenn
Maccelli-Pageau-Holmstrom
Duclair/Palat-Cizikas-Heineman
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If it isn't clear at this point that Palat isn't blocking anyone, then it's being intentionally obtuse.
The Islanders are set up to be flexible for their youth.
If multiple rookies break through, say Eklund and Daylan Kuefler, the Islanders would demote two of MacLean, Engvall, and Duclair.
Palat is not guaranteed a lineup spot. There's every chance he ends up in the press box more often than he plays.
If he is playing a lot, it's because he earned his spot in DeBoer's lineup at training camp and beyond. That's it, that's the simple math.
Closing Argument:
Those are the two biggest reasons, and arguable points about why the Islanders should've bought out Palat.
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As of today, August 4, the Islanders know that barring a massive summer leap forward, none of Cole Eiserman, Daniil Prokhorov, or Quinn Finley are ready for the NHL just yet.
Potential future bottom six guys like Kueffler, Jesse Nurmi, and Gleb Veremyev could push as well, but none are likely ready to go on day one.
What this online argument has ultimately become is an overly-emotional one, with people still upset and unwilling to move on from the trades and collapse leading to the missed playoffs in 2025-26 season.
Palat is an Islander and will be one for the 2026-27 season. He absolutely brings strong leadership to the team, and is a good veteran to have around for the youth.
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That does not guarantee him a roster spot, nor does it mean he's back in his prime, when he played a key role in winning two Stanley Cups for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021.
It's also worth noting the Islanders had to have Palat waive his no-move and no-trade clauses for him to join the Islanders.
That's not nothing, especially when the Islanders have not had that often happen for them in their history.
Immediately turning around and buying out a player who does that would be ruthless and off-putting to any player looking at the Islanders as they try to upswing from retool into a contender soon.
