Palat finished the 2023-24 season with 11 goals and 31 points in 71 appearances.

EDGE Analysis

Palat parlayed his strong play in Tampa Bay into a five-year, $30 million contract with the Devils in the 2021-22 offseason, but it's becoming more and more apparent that he was likely carried by playing alongside stars such as Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point in Tampa Bay. After nine consecutive seasons with at least 34 points for the Lightning, Palat has produced meager totals of 23 and 31 points in his first two years in New Jersey. At age 33, Palat's more likely to go down than up next year.

Palat (lower body) will return to action versus St. Louis on Thursday, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.

EDGE Analysis

Palat figures to step into the first-line role being vacated by Tyler Toffoli, who is being held out of the lineup for trade-related reasons. In addition, the 32-year-old Palat should be back in a power-play role where he has recorded five of his 24 points this year.

Palat (lower body) skated before Wednesday's practice, per Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site. He remains questionable for Thursday's contest against St. Louis.

EDGE Analysis

Palat will skate again Thursday before a determination is made about his availability. He has nine goals, 24 points, 86 PIM and 72 hits in 51 contests this season. If Palat returns Thursday, then Kurtis MacDermid might be a healthy scratch versus the Blues.

Palat will be out of action against the Panthers on Tuesday due to a lower-body injury, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.

EDGE Analysis

Palat's absence will see Jack Hughes shift to the wing in a second-line role alongside Erik Haula. Additionally, Alexander Holtz could see some added power-play opportunities with the second unit while Palat is sidelined. For his part, the 32-year-old Palat will be hard-pressed to get back over the 40-point threshold after also missing that mark last season, in part due to injuries that limited him to just 49 games.

Palat (not injury related) will be out Tuesday against the Panthers, per James Nichols.

EDGE Analysis

Palat may get dealt before Friday's trade deadline, as he's not out for injury-related reasons. He has recorded nine goals and 15 assists this season and has a tremendous amount of playoff experience having won a Stanley Cup with the Lightning. If traded, the 32-year-old will likely end up in a bottom-six role for a playoff-bound team.

Palat posted an assist, two hits and a plus-3 rating in Tuesday's 7-2 win over the Sharks.

EDGE Analysis

Palat set up a Brendan Smith goal in the third period. With eight points over 12 outings in February, Palat has provided solid supplementary offense in a top-six role. The winger is up to 24 points in 49 contests this season, one point better than he had in the same number of games a year ago. He's added 85 shots on net, 68 hits, 31 PIM and a plus-2 rating.

Palat (illness) is expected to play Thursday versus LA, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.

EDGE Analysis

Palat was a game-time decision due to the illness, but he won't end up missing any playing time. He has eight goals and 20 points in 42 appearances in 2023-24. Palat is projected to serve on the first line alongside Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt on Thursday.

Palat is under the weather and will be a game-time decision versus the Kings on Thursday. Coach Lindy Ruff told reporters, "Just be a wait-and-see game-time decision. If he's feeling better, he'll play, if not, he won't be in the lineup," per Mike Morreale of NHL.com.

EDGE Analysis

Palat is seven games back from a lower-body injury that previously cost him the first 10 games of January. In those seven outings, the 32-year-old winger garnered three goals on 14 shots to go with three assists, 10 hits and eight blocks. If Palat were to miss out against LA, Timo Meier could be elevated to a first-line role.

Palat notched an assist in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Predators.

EDGE Analysis

Palat had gone two games without a point entering Tuesday. He helped out on a Nico Hischier equalizer early in the third period. Palat has been seeing top-six minutes since the All-Star break, so he should be in a good position to make regular contributions on offense. The winger has 20 points, 77 shots on net, 50 hits and a minus-2 rating over 42 appearances this season.

Palat scored two goals in a 5-3 loss to Calgary on Thursday.

EDGE Analysis

His first opened the scoring. It was a one-timer from the left face-off circle off a 2-on-1. His second was a deflection at the left point at 13:46 of the third to cut the score to 4-3. Palat is riding a three-game, five-point streak that includes three goals. His overall pace this season is average this season, but a streak is a streak. And you need to roll guys like him on and off your roster in order to win.