NHL Notebook: Islanders acquire Ondřej Palát from Devils

Palát was selected in the seventh round of the 2011 draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning, and has gone on to have a successful National Hockey League career. In his first full season, the Czech forward scored 23 goals and 59 points, with those goals being the most for a single season. 

The following season, the winger scored 16 goals and a career-best 63 points, while adding eight goals and 16 points in 26 games as the Lightning fell to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Finals.

In 2020, the Lightning went on to win the Cup, as Palát scored 17 goals and 41 points during the regular season, then 11 goals and 28 points in 25 post-season games as the Lightning defeated the Dallas Stars. They went back-to-back in 2021, as Palát scored 15 goals and 45 points in 55 regular season games, then five goals and 13 points in 23 games.

They nearly became a dynasty, reaching the Finals against the Colorado Avalanche in 2022, but fell in Game 6 to miss out on the three-peat. Palát scored 11 goals and 21 points in 23 games during that post-season run.

At the conclusion of the 2021-22 season, Palát signed with the New Jersey Devils, where he’s spent the last four seasons. Before joining the Devils, Palát was usually good for around 15 goals and 40 points, but his highest point total with the Devils was 31 in 2023-24, while scoring 15 goals in 77 games during the 2024-25 season. Through 51 games this season, Palát has four goals and 10 points.

Tsyplakov is another player in need of a change of scenery. In 65 games with Moscow Spartak of the Kontinental Hockey League in 2023-24, the winger scored 31 goals and 47 points. He made his way stateside for the 2024-25 season, scoring 10 goals and 35 points in 77 games. However, the Russian has just one goal and two points in 27 games this season.

Red Wings sign Ben Chiarot to extension

On Wednesday morning, the Detroit Red Wings agreed to a three-year extension worth $3.85 million annually with defenceman Ben Chiarot.

Chiarot, a defensive defenceman, is one of the last remaining Atlanta Thrashers draft picks in the league. The left-shot defenceman got his start in the NHL after they relocated to Winnipeg, spending parts of six seasons with the Jets.

Eventually, he signed with the Montréal Canadiens, where he spent parts of three seasons before they traded him to the Florida Panthers for an unprotected first. It looked as if that first was going to be a lottery pick, but the Panthers made the playoffs in the final days, and went to the Stanley Cup Finals as the eighth-seed. They have won the last two Cups.

Chiarot has spent his last four seasons with the Red Wings, scoring four goals and 11 points in 54 games this season. The left-shot defenceman eats significant minutes for the Atlantic Division team, as they sit second in the division with a 32-17-5 record, looking to break a nine-season playoff drought.

Canucks’ Thatcher Demko out for season

From a playoff bound team to a rebuilding team, the Vancouver Canucks will be without netminder Thatcher Demko for the remainder of the season due to hip surgery.

It’s been a tough couple of seasons for the San Diego native, as he’s played in just 43 games over the last two seasons. He was a big reason why the Canucks finished first in the Pacific Division in 2023-24, as he had a .918 save percentage and 2.45 goals against average in 51 games, ending the season as a Vezina Trophy finalist.

Demko’s health has been in question the past two seasons, so too has his play. In 23 games during the 2024-25 season, Demko had an .889 save percentage and 2.90 goals against average. In the 20 games he played this season, he had an .897 save percentage and 2.85 goals against average.

After trading Kiefer Sherwood and franchise defenceman Quinn Hughes earlier this off-season, it’s clear that the tank is on for the Canucks. Over 53 games, their 39 games are the fewest in the league, and they have eight-fewer points than the St. Louis Blues, who have 47 points.