For New Jersey Devils winger Kyle Palmieri, one thing is clear: He is expecting a hefty raise when his contract expires this year and becomes a restricted free agent. The 24-year-old has already shattered his previous goal record with 17 so far this season and has already tied his career best with 31 points. His current $1.6 million salary can only be improved upon. He says, however, that he does not wish to begin contract negotiations for an extension in order to focus on his play.
"I don't want to add any distractions if I don't have to," the 24-year-old said Monday, reports Tom Gulitti of The Record. "For me, right now it's just focusing on winning hockey games and helping this team make it to the playoffs this year."
"We're only at the halfway point, so there is a lot of season left," Palmieri said while discussing his almost certain contract extension, according to NJ Advance Media's Rich Chere. "We have a lot of games left and that's our focus right now."
New Jersey general manager Ray Shero is optimistic about an extension, even with the delayed proceedings.
"I'm not exactly sure, but the chances of us re-signing him are very good," Shero said. "I don't want to put a timetable on it or take Kyle's eye off the ball here in terms of how he's playing. ... I think it's been a good fit for him and for us. That's something [contract extension] we're hopeful of. Part of the trade was [that] he's a restricted free agent at the end of the year with [arbitration] rights. So, that's something we'd like to move forward with and we're going to get to that [...] And when we are getting to that, that will be between me and the agent most likely. But, he's been a good fit for us, and we're looking forward to discussing something with his agent at some point here."
The winger, who will turn 25 on Feb. 1, has been one of the main reasons the Devils are in the playoff hunt with a 21-18-5 record through 43 games. He leads the team in goals with 17, and his 31 points is second only to Michael Cammaleri.
Palmieri is in a good negotiating position, and if his astounding play continues, he could afford to wait even longer to begin negotiations. His value is increasing with each game.
