I Bet You Thought The Devils Acquisition Of Kyle Palmieri Couldn't Possibly Get Any Better...

Kyle Palmieri tending some goal. pic.twitter.com/udsuURq7FR

— Tom Gulitti (@TGfireandice) February 29, 2016

Cory Schneider winds up for a slap shot (with Kyle Palmieri's stick) pic.twitter.com/jhx5YockCV

— Tom Gulitti (@TGfireandice) February 29, 2016

I think everyone knew that the Devils were getting a player that was an adept scorer when they traded for Kyle Palmieri last offseason. Hell, even the guy that was willing to let him go knew that.
Maybe we didn't know we were getting someone that was on the verge of tapping into a wealth of offensive potential, but we knew he could put the puck in the net. Doing so over 30 times year in and year out could turn out to be quite the unforeseen blessing, but Kyle Palmieri making his presence felt in the opponent's zone isn't something that comes as much of a surprise. 

What we didn't know is that he would shed the unfortunate label of being a lazy defensive player, but if this picture is any indication then that's exactly what he's done. All the Anaheim Ducks had to do was make Kyle Palmieri walk a mile in a man's shoes and they would have had themselves a hell of a two way player. You just don't see through the eyes of goaltender and not develop more respect for what he has to endure on a day-to-day basis. Especially when that goaltender happens to be one of the best in the world. Kyle Palmieri just found out what it's like to be Cory Schneider, and now he has no choice but to try to make it easier to be Cory Schneider. His effort in his own end has already been impressive given the expectations, but a couple more practices as the last line of defense and he'll be auditioning for a Selke. It appears that there is nothing that Kyle Palmieri can't do, assuming of course that we are excluding his inability to become less lovable.