The Calgary Flames have acquired defenceman Simon Nemec from the New Jersey Devils in a blockbuster deal ahead of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
The full deal will see Calgary acquire Nemec, alongside RW Maxim Tsyplakov in exchange for 2x first round picks, a second, and Etienne Morin. Of note, none of the picks Calgary is trading are their own, opting instead to send a 2027 first rounder from Vegas, a 2028 first rounder from Colorado, and a 2026 second round selection from New York.
The 22 year old blue liner is set to become a restricted free agent after being selected 2nd overall by New Jersey in 2022. Across 155 NHL games, Nemec has recorded 16G, and 33A. He’s also represented Slovakia internationally at the World Juniors, and 2x Olympic Games (2022, 2026).
In 68 games with New Jersey last season he notched 11G, and 15A, while averaging 19:40 of ice time. Standing 6’1″ and being a right shot defender, Nemec holds tremendous value in NHL circles, though it became clear as the season progressed that he and the Devils front office weren’t on the same page.
Nemec’s name had quietly been on the trading block for some time now, and with the NHL Draft set to take place this weekend at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY, clearly GM Sunny Mehta felt that the best time to move him was now. The two first round picks acquired from Calgary are conditional as follows:
- The first-round pick that is acquired by Calgary from Vegas in either the 2027 or 2028 NHL Draft (whichever first-round pick Calgary receives from its January 18, 2026 trade with Vegas).
- The first-round pick that is acquired by Calgary from Colorado in either the 2028 or 2029 NHL Draft (whichever first-round pick Calgary receives from its March 6, 2026 trade with Colorado).
The Devils now hold six picks in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, including 1 first, and 2 second round selections. They are set to select 12th overall on Friday barring any further trades.
Photo: Daniel. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.