As per a report by TSN insider Pierre LeBrun, “You never know how these things go at the 11th hour, but my gut feeling is there won’t be an extension. I see a trade coming.” He’s referring to forward Kyle Palmieri and his extension contract talks with the New Jersey Devils and he’s noting that those talks are not going well.
LeBrun adds, “Sense right now on the Kyle Palmieri front is the Devils are still going back and forth with his camp trying to find common ground on parameters for an extension.” He had suggested the team and the player would make one last effort and if something wasn’t finalized, it was time to move on since the clock was ticking on the trade deadline.
With the NHL trade deadline just over a week away, the Devils’ focus on Palmieri will likely shift to a plan to move the forward in a trade before the April 12th date. Plenty of suitors are rumored to be interested and Palmieri’s timing is excellent as he’s started to score a few goals and is on a bit of a hot streak.
Among the teams interested are likely the New York Islanders and the Boston Bruins. The Islanders have been a heavy favorite in this conversation as they’re looking to fill a hole left by the injured Anders Lee. That said, talk of the Bruins being interested is starting to make some noise as the franchise is looking for scoring beyond their top line of David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. Boston knows how good Palmieri can be as he’s torched them for five goals in six games this season.
Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy admitted they could use the help. He said, “Offensively, we’re not built to outscore teams.”
Expect a Palmieri Trade
Whether he goes to Boston or the Islanders, expect Palmieri to be moved. There’s far too much noise surrounding how poorly talks are going between the forward and the Devils for their not to be action this season.
What will be interesting to see is how a Palmieri deal will affect players like Taylor Hall and what the Buffalo Sabres are asking for in return. If Palmieri is moved for very little, the price on Hall will likely come down from the first-round pick ask. If Palmieri fetches a first-rounder, there’s no way Hall moves for less.
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