Kyle Palmieri finds goals and home cooked meals in New Jersey

LOS ANGELES – On days off during the 2015-16 season, Kyle Palmieri will take the 30-mile trek from his residence in Hoboken, New Jersey to his childhood home in Montvale.

There the love and comfort of family and a homemade meal await him. Sometimes his mother cooks, sometimes his dad does the kitchen duties.

“My mom’s a great cook and my dad’s a great cook so I think – anything Italian my mom makes is pretty spot on,” Palmieri said. “It’s definitely nice to have that option during the year.”

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Palmieri said his offseason trade to New Jersey from the Anaheim Ducks for a 2015 second-round pick and a 2016 third-round pick was a “shock.”

Even though Palmieri was going back to his home area, he had become comfortable in Anaheim, a place where he played five seasons. The Ducks selected the 5-foot-10, 185-pound Palmieri in the first-round in the 2009 NHL Draft. Palmieri and the Devils play the Ducks on Monday night, his first time back at Honda Center since the trade. 

But after the surprise abated, Palmieri saw opportunity. On the ice he finally was no longer blocked on the depth chart by the talented wingers in the Ducks organization. Off the ice he could reconnect with his family and his community. 

If Palmieri decides to take a glance into the stands at Prudential Center, there’s a chance he’ll see someone he knows. He bought his parents season tickets and he said his buddies have gone to 10-15 games this year.

“It’s cool seeing guys I went to high school with and played baseball with in high school at St. Peters, so there’s a lot of old friends floating around the same cities,” Palmieri said.

On the ice, Palmieri has enjoyed a career year as the Devils’ leading scorer. His 25 goals is 11 more than his career-high of 14, a total he hit twice. His 0.65 points per-game is a career-high, better than the 0.51 he had a year ago. 

“He’s a skilled player that works and competes,” Devils coach John Hynes said. “He’s not a drifter. So for us we want to have our guys engage and we want to have our team to be able  to work and play at a certain pace. He’s one of those offensive players that can play at a high pace. He can play in traffic and find ways to use his offensive skill and that’s why he’s fit in well for us.”

With the Ducks there was generally someone on wing blocking Palmieri’s ability to play big minutes. With the Devils he’s been a top-three forward all season.

“It’s been a great fit,” Palmieri said. “Our team went through a lot of changes over the summer with management and roster guys and I came in and wanted to earn my place in the lineup. I think the style we play is something I fit very well into and hopefully moving forward we can continue to have success in that playing style and just keep going like that.”

And his contributions haven’t rung hollow to the coaching staff. They say Palmieri is showing he has the type of skill that can dictate a long career as a scorer who sets the tone with his work ethic.

“He was given that opportunity coming into training camp based on who he was as a player,” Hynes said. “He’s continued to earn that over the course of time. I think his level of consistency and work, he’s gotten all these points but he continues to be one of the hardest workers on the ice and I think that’s why he’s having such a good year.” 

Palmieri entered this season as a pending restricted free agent, and felt the pressure immediately. Especially after the trade with a new organization.

“I had a year to prove myself,” Palmieri said.

After the way he’s played, he’ll probably get a hefty raise from his current deal that will end up paying him $4.4 million over three years. He has been an important part of the surprising Devils, a team that had been in the playoff mix until recently. 

“I knew I would get a chance to play an important role it was up to me and my teammates to run with that,” Palmieri said.

A new possible long-term deal with the Devils could only strengthen Palmieri’s bond in the community.

Recently he went to St. Peter’s to wish the hockey team luck in a big upcoming game. The school is just three miles from where he lives.

As a Jersey kid, Palmieri understands the unique bond of the Devils with their fans. He gets that maybe he wouldn’t be an NHL player if the Devils didn’t help boost youth hockey in New Jersey, and for him that makes this season even more satisfying.

 “It’s been a wild rid and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it,” Palmieri said. 

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