With the 2025 Trade Deadline approaching, the Tampa Bay Lightning are shaping up to be buyers again. They have been one of the busiest teams at the deadline over the past few seasons, for example, trading for Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow during their Stanley Cup runs. However, the Lightning recently moved away from pure rentals when they acquired long-term pieces like Brandon Hagel and Nick Paul at past deadlines. This season, the Lightning could take interest in forward Kyle Palmieri of the New York Islanders. Frank Seravalli wrote an article on Palmieri as a low-cost buy for a contender, and he listed the Lightning as a potential landing spot. Would he be a good fit and at what cost?
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Disclaimer: The players featured in these articles aren’t always linked to the Lightning but have been made available in some capacity this season. These articles consider whether Tampa Bay should target them and at what cost.
Palmieri’s Background
Raised in New Jersey, Palmieri played one season in the NCAA with Notre Dame during the 2009-10 season. After just one season of college hockey, the Anaheim Ducks’ 26th overall selection from 2009 jumped to pro. He split a few seasons between the NHL and American Hockey League (AHL), before becoming a full-time member of the Ducks in 2013.
Palmieri continues to carve out a nice career for himself, reaching the 50-point plateau four times, including two 30-goal campaigns. He’s found success with three clubs, including his hometown New Jersey Devils and his current team, the Islanders. Having turned 34 years old earlier this month, he has a respectable 16 goals and 21 assists for 37 points in 55 games this season. He’s in the final year of his four-year, $20 million contract and will likely take a pay cut this summer.
Palmieri Scouting Report
Palmieri is an energetic winger despite his age. He would slot nicely in a second-line right-wing role in the top six for Tampa Bay while providing a much-needed layer of secondary scoring. While we’ve only looked at two defensive targets for the Lightning, adding a middle-six winger is a better idea for the trade deadline.
Palmieri is a quick-strike offensive player with a shot-first mentality. He generates most of his offense off the rush and prefers not to play the cycle game in the offensive zone via All Three Zones’ track record and player cards. With that, why would the Lightning be interested in his services?
Palmieri‘s Strengths
One of Palmieri’s biggest attributes that the Islanders will use in their sales pitch is his fast pace of play. His skating and shot speed are nearly in the top quarter of the league despite his age. He ranks in the 97th percentile of shot speed and the 70th percentile of top skating speed this season via NHL Edge statistics. He can get to the dirty areas of the ice in front of the net as well with most of his scoring chances coming in high-danger areas.
His ability to attack off the rush and use quick one-timers make him a tantalizing player for the Lightning at the trade deadline. The Lightning can add a player who plays a fast-paced offensive game with solid possession numbers (50.82 xGF% via Natural Stat Trick) despite minimal offensive zone time.
Palmieri‘s Weaknesses
Palmieri’s biggest issue is his reduction in offensive zone time in the late stages of his career. He ranks below the 50th percentile in offensive zone time at even strength via NHL edge. The Lightning’s second line with Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel likes to cycle the puck, so unless Palmieri can become an asset to that line in the offensive zone, the fit might not be ideal.
What it Would (Likely) Take to Acquire Palmieri
Today, general manager Julien BriseBois has $3.21 million in cap space to work with at the trade deadline. One player with comparable value to Palmieri who got traded at previous deadlines is Anthony Mantha, who the Vegas Golden Knights acquired from the Washington Capitals at the 2024 Trade Deadline in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick. A once 30-goal scorer with 34 points in 56 games before the trade, Mantha is a solid comparison for a potential Palmieri deal.
Another player, Patrick Kane, was acquired by the New York Rangers from the Chicago Blackhawks for a conditional 2023 second-round pick and a 2025 fourth-round pick. Again, Kane was an aging winger with an offensive spark but had slightly better point totals than Palmieri before the trade. With that, here’s a realistic trade scenario for Palmieri.
Tampa Bay acquires: Kyle Palmieri (F)
New York acquires: 2025 second-round pick, 2027 fourth-round pick
How Both Sides Benefit From the Trade
Tampa Bay addresses its underwhelming forward depth with a fast, skilled winger in Palmieri, who needs a change of scenery. The Islanders’ power play ranks dead last in the NHL, and adding a goal-scorer like Palmieri at five-on-five and the man advantage could improve the Lightning’s scoring distribution. For New York, the Islanders have some aging players that could fetch some value for the future, and a retool is necessary for this team to compete for a Stanley Cup.
Tampa Bay Lightning: In or Out on Palmieri?
Out of the three targets so far, Palmieri is the best fit and my personal favorite. However, he’s still not the best option for the Lightning. After this season, he will hit the open market and the Lightning will have to fill his absence in the offseason via trade or free agency. At 34 years old, despite maintaining his stride, he isn’t the best fit for the Lightning’s timeline with their future roster two to five years down the road.
