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Reports: Devils sign Ondrej Palat to five-year deal
Former Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Ondrej Palat (18) is set to join the New Jersey Devils on a five-year deal. Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Reports: Devils land former Lightning winger Ondrej Palat on five-year deal

Two-time Stanley Cup champion Ondrej Palat is set to join the New Jersey Devils on a five-year, $30 million deal, according to multiple reports.

Palat, 31, spent the first 10 seasons of his NHL career with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The veteran winger has 423 career regular season points and has finished every season of his career with a positive plus/minus.

In the postseason, Palat has been a clutch performer with 94 points in 138 career playoff games. Most recently, he recorded 11 goals and 10 assists in the Lightning's 23 playoffs games earlier this year.

That experience and steady production could prove valuable for a Devils roster that is otherwise filled with youth at the forward position. The team's top four goal scorers last season -- Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, and Yegor Sharangovich -- are all 24 or younger. The team also has 20-year-old Dawson Mercer who finished his rookie season with 17 goals and 25 assists.

The Devils finished the 2021-22 season scoring just under three goals per game, 19th most in the NHL, but allowed the fourth most goals. The team was said to be interested in acquiring former Calgary Flames winner Johnny Gaudreau, but he reportedly turned down a massive offer from New Jersey to join the Columbus Blue Jackets instead.

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