New York Acquires: Kyle Palmieri, Travis Zajac

New York Islander Fan Central | 4/07/2021 08:48:00 PM |
Lamoriello said both players will be at morning skate on Thursday, both players happy to be coming, want to win. Sure NYI website will have his media conference later. Devils gm, Tom Fitzgerald, hoped it would be the 32nd pick because both players deserve to win the Cup.
“I know what they bring on the ice,” Islanders president and GM Lou Lamoriello, who has worked with both Zajac and Palmieri in his previous position with the Devils, said. “I know who they are as people and how well they’ll fit in the locker room. Chemistry is extremely important. Their experience, their talent, their competitiveness, especially in this division, knowing what they have to go through, brings excitement on our end.”
“When I heard that the Islanders could be an option, I couldn’t have been more excited,” Palmieri said. “As the days wore on here, there was a little bit of anxiety in terms of waiting for that call. I got that call tonight and it was really difficult to contain the excitement of joining this team.”
“It’s a bolt of energy for sure,” Zajac said. “You’re excited to come in this situation and coming to a team that just does things the right way. They know how to win. They’re tough to play against, they’re consistent. It’s exciting to be a part of that group.”
NYIFC Comments: A lot to digest there. We know 1st was likely going to be outside the lottery picks. (or could be conditional upon making Covid Cup Playoffs) Greer/Jobst, were hardly top level prospects, and conditional pick could be contingent upon winning Covid Cup. Want to sit with this a while, but on the surface, like the trade, they clearly did not have enough, and they kept Wahlstrom, Bellows, Dal Colle, and their top prospects, and players with some apparent value in Wilde, Bolduc, and Holmstrom.