The Devils added some draft capital on Tuesday, dealing defenseman Šimon Nemec to the Flames in exchange for a pair of conditional first-round draft picks in 2027 and 2028, as well as a second-round pick in this week’s NHL draft.
The Devils will also receive 21-year-old defensive prospect Etienne Morin and the Flames will get former Islander Maxim Tsyplakov.
Advertisement
The conditional picks are top 10 protected.
New Jersey Devils defenseman Simon Nemec (17) controls the puck during a game against the Washington Capitals. AP Photo/Nick Wass
Nemec is coming off a season in which he put up a career high 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) in 68 games for New Jersey and had wrapped up his third season in the NHL since being drafted No. 2 overall in the 2022 NHL Draft by the Devils’ previous general manager, Tom Fitzgerald.
Tuesday’s deal is one of the first sizeable moves made by new GM Sunny Mehta as the Devils prepare for this week’s draft.
Nemec was set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer after completing his rookie contract, and the deal indicates that Mehta opted not to engage with what likely would have been a pricey extension and move Nemec while interest was there.
Advertisement
The Devils have a dearth of defensemen at the moment in Luke Hughes, Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce, Brenden Dillon, Jonas Siegenthaler and Johnathan Kovacevic.
The team also had prospect Seamus Casey and signed their No. 10 overall pick in 2024, Anton Silayev.
If Nemec turns into a high-end defenseman, the deal could come back to haunt Mehta and the Devils, but for now, the team has essentially seen enough for the organization to be comfortable making Tuesday’s deal.
Devils General Manager Sunny Mehta speaks at a press conference at Prudential Center on April 21,2026. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The added draft picks could make for an interesting Friday and Saturday for the Devils, with the possibility that they could use them to make a trade.
The Devils have roughly $13.1 million in cap space at the moment, according to PuckPedia.
Read the full article here