Since signing with the New Jersey Devils on July 14, 2022, Ondřej Palát’s tenure has been up and down. Palat came off his best season since 2016-17, where he notched 49 points and helped the Tampa Bay Lightning reach their third-straight Stanley Cup Final appearance. At the time, he was an important veteran signing for a young Devils team with relatively little playoff experience. Palat brought with him to New Jersey two Stanley Cups in tow, with 748 regular season games and 150 playoff games under his belt. And although throughout his time with the Devils he hasn’t been as productive on the scoresheet, he has been an excellent leader and two-way player.
He does not put up the offensive numbers that he did when he was younger, but he has compensated with tremendous improvements in his two-way game. He brings underrated playmaking, makes great zone exit plays, and contributes well to setting up his teammates in the offensive zone. He is not a physical presence, but he does not shy away from contact. He isn’t the flashy winger of his youth, yet he’s become an excellent complementary winger who can keep up with the speed and skill of elite talent. That’s what makes him such a special player for this young Devils team. He’s a kind of jack-of-all-trades player who can give you anything you need at any time. His ability to play on all four forward lines and succeed in any role given to him makes him crucial to New Jersey’s future success.
Palat’s Two-Way Game
Sure, his $6,000,000 annual cap hit for three more years isn’t exactly attractive, and his scoring during the regular season hasn’t really sprung off the page with 54 points and a 0.45 point-per-game average through 120 regular season games. But a lot of his first year in New Jersey was plagued with a groin injury that resulted in surgery. Since then, he’s been a steady presence and a reliable forward. He provides the type of offense that wins games and is no slouch on the defensive end. His two-way game has made him such an important veteran.
He’s a consistent play driver who thrives in the neutral zone: Last season, he ranked in the 99th percentile in zone exits, 83th percentile on In-Zone Shot Assists, and 78th percentile in Rush Offense. This means that he ranked very highly in getting the puck out of his own zone and initiating a pass to start the rush. Not to mention, over the course of his career, he’s always been a player who can grind for a puck and put himself in a position to score. He loves to play down low and be a pest in the slot to look for rebounds or tips. He is also excellent at creating opportunities for his teammates once they establish a presence in the zone, whether via shot assists or passes to a teammate to create a scoring chance. He will always look to pass to a player in a prime playmaking position and then try to find himself in a good spot on open ice for a shot attempt. He’s a crucial secondary playmaker, either when playing with elite talents like Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes or being the primary facilitator on his own line.
While he’s been known more as an offensive player for the majority of his career, since coming to New Jersey, he has refined his defensive game, making him an important two-way player. As shown above, Palat ranked in the 90th percentile in even strength defensive Wins Above Replacement, which for a 30-year-old is rather impressive. He uses his strength and frame to outwork opponents in board battles and is always positionally in the right spots. He is always looking to intercept or strip pucks to initiate zone exits and breakouts.
Palat’s International Play
An excellent example of his two-way game was from his recent play in the IIHF World Championship. Palat was an important veteran on the Czech team, as his play helped them achieve their first World Championship Gold Medal since 2010. He was one of seven NHL players to make the Czech’s final roster and was bestowed an ‘A’ to be one of the alternate captains. In the tournament, he scored three goals and added three assists in 10 games, spending a lot of time with Matej Stransky and David Tomasek before being paired on an all-star line with David Pastrňák and Pavel Zacha during the medal rounds. He logged big minutes, averaging 16:19 through 10 games, earning the fourth-most ice time of all Czech forwards. He played between the second and third lines and was trusted to be a key player on the first power-play unit.
Related: Devils Players End Season on High Note at World Championships
While down late in a big game against Canada, the Czechs pulled the goalie on a power play with less than four minutes in the game. Palát did what he does best and set up right in front near the Canadian goaltender Jordan Binnington. He is known for his incredible hand-eye coordination. After a rebound eluded him, he positioned himself just to the left of the goaltender to get a nice angle for a possible tip. Roman Cervenka, who collected the rebound, surveyed his options from the half board and passed it to David Spacek, who slammed a slap shot toward the net. Seeing the shot, Palát angled his stick properly to get a nice opportunity and scored a key goal off of his shaft to get the Czechs within one.
Palát is known for being able to tip pucks for big goals, as shown earlier, but the savvy way he can handle tough passes or bobbling pucks is what makes him such a weapon offensively. In this play, Tomasek ripped a puck on net, and Palat crashed to get a tip. He got the deflection that then rose above and behind the Austrian netminder. He got his own rebound to settle the bobbling puck quickly and immediately looked to find his teammate. Once he knew where his teammate is, he sent a smooth pass for Tomasek to rifle an easy one-timer goal.
Key plays like these are what make him so special. They got his country and the Devils to new heights. Palát’s playmaking skills and positional awareness were evident throughout the tournament, where he was entrusted with significant ice time and key roles, further highlighting his value as a two-way player. General manager Tom Fitzgerald understood the necessity for an important veteran forward who could help the team when it mattered most, and he got a quality player in Palat.
Palat’s Leadership
Whether it’s his style of play or how he’s displayed it internationally, Palat is a crucial player for the Devils. Not only does his play add a lot of value on the ice, but he’s also become an important leader for the young roster. Just like he was for the Czechs, he donned the ‘A’ as an alternate captain for the club since arriving in New Jersey. Having almost 900 games worth of experience and two Stanley Cups, it’s a resume that speaks volumes for itself. Achieving such milestones while also excelling as a leader requires an exceptional work ethic and unwavering determination. But it’s the way he presents himself as a quiet leader who plays the right way is how he sets the example for his team.
Even in Tampa, he wasn’t known as an outspoken leader, especially considering all the talent that those championship teams had. When interviewed by The Athletic in a piece about his former teammate, Tyler Johnson said: “It’s just his style of play… he always does the little things right. That’s how you get rewarded in the playoffs, by playing a certain way. It’s not always about being the flashiest player. It’s about playing the right way. Pally does that, and he’s been rewarded.” (from ‘Ondrej Palat brings Lightning lessons to Devils locker room‘ – The Athletic, 4/27/2023.) He’s truly embraced and ran with such an important role. He has seamlessly embraced his role as a mentor, sharing his valuable experiences with a Devils team that gained valuable playoff experience in 2023. The impact of this cannot be understated. To be taught lessons about how to go through the rigors of a season and the trials and tribulations of a playoff series is crucial to a team that has only made the playoffs twice in the last 10 years and can make the difference for a team that has Stanley Cup aspirations.
Not only is it through his leadership that he makes an impact, but also through how he’s encouraged his younger teammates to take that next leap forward. To be able to stress how important it is for them to emulate the leadership and speak up when necessary is a huge deal. He leads by example and actively fosters growth and development among his younger teammates. By encouraging them to step up and take on leadership roles, he emphasizes the significance of strong leadership and speaking up when needed. This develops maturity and growth within the Devils’ locker room.
With everything he brings to the table, Palát will have a lot of work to do to help his team get back to the playoffs and be the contenders they deserve. It starts with him and how he can contribute more on the scoresheet this upcoming season while also being a pivotal piece in the locker room. There is a reason why Fitzgerald paid him a hefty sum of money to stick around for five years in New Jersey. He has all the tools to become the player he was during the championship runs in Tampa Bay, and he can further cement his legacy this upcoming season if he steps up for New Jersey.
