The Calgary Flames have locked in Šimon Nemec on a five-year deal worth $36.25 million, giving the defenseman a $7.25 million annual average value after acquiring him from the New Jersey Devils on June 23.
Nemec, 22, was a restricted free agent after the trade and now lands in Calgary with a contract that puts him squarely in the middle of the club’s rebuild. Last season with New Jersey, he put up 11 goals and 26 points in 68 games. Over parts of three seasons with the Devils, he totaled 16 goals and 49 points in 155 career games.
The Devils selected Nemec No. 2 in the 2022 NHL Draft, and he also has international experience with Slovakia, including an Olympic bronze medal in 2022. Forward Maxim Tsyplakov was part of the same trade that sent Nemec to Calgary.
For the Flames, the appeal is obvious: offense from the blue line. Nemec’s 11 goals last season would have topped every Calgary defenseman, ahead of Rasmus Andersson’s 10 in 48 games before he was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights. He’s also expected to bring power-play value and help guide top prospect Zayne Parekh on the back end.
Calgary’s offseason picture still has some breathing room. According to PuckPedia, the Flames have more than $14 million in cap space. They’ve also been active beyond the Nemec move, dealing winger Blake Coleman and defenseman Olli Määttä to the Minnesota Wild for Jake Middleton and draft picks.
What it means for Calgary is pretty clear: Nemec should walk in as the club’s most experienced offensive defenseman, and one of the young pieces Craig Conroy has been targeting. The general manager has long favored players in the 18-to-23 range, and Nemec fits that profile as a right-shot defender who wanted more ice time and responsibility in New Jersey.
With Nemec and Parekh, Calgary now has two puck-moving defensemen to build around. Nemec is the likeliest candidate to open the season as the top power-play quarterback, and he could also begin in a top-pairing role, either with Kevin Bahl or with Middleton in a top-four spot.
AFP Analytics had projected Nemec for a seven-year deal with an $8,060,650 cap hit, so Calgary came in with a shorter term and a lower number. The Flames’ $7.25 million AAV fits their current cap structure, especially for a team that isn’t expected to spend aggressively while rebuilding. Even so, they’ll keep listening if another chance comes along to add a young talent the way they did with Nemec.
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Why The Flames Were So Eager To Land Jonathan Castagna
Jonathan Castagnas move to the Flames came together quickly after he finished his junior season at Cornell, and it was the kind of addition Calgary had clearly been tracking for a while. The organization liked what it saw in him on the ice, but the appeal went beyond production. During scouting and development camp, the Flames were drawn to the way he carried himself, the work he put in, and the leadership traits that made him stand out in a college setting.
For Castagna, the jump to the professional level comes with the usual mix of gratitude and ambition. He spoke appreciatively about his time at Cornell and has taken a humble approach to the start of his pro career, which fits the profile Calgary seemed to want. A three-year entry-level contract gives the Flames a chance to develop a player they believe has the right foundation, while leaving the next step of his transition very much worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Suddenly Face A Tough Call On Hunter Brzustewicz
The Flames blue line has gotten crowded in a hurry this offseason, with Simon Nemec, Carson Carels and Jake Middleton all joining a group that already had plenty of bodies competing for ice time. That has turned Hunter Brzustewicz into one of the more interesting roster puzzles on the team, because the 21-year-old right-shot defenseman now has to fit into a logjam that leaves Calgary with more options than openings.
Brzustewicz is still in the mix, but the path forward is far from clear. The Flames can keep sorting through whether he belongs in the NHL right away, whether a stint in the AHL makes the most sense, or whether his value is better used in a bigger move if the front office decides the current mix needs another adjustment. Even the idea of shifting Zayne Parekh to the left side speaks to how tight the margins are, and how one move on the back end could ripple through the rest of the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Just Got Linked To A Dream Draft Scenario
An early 2027 mock draft has the Flames in a spot every rebuilding team dreams about, with Calgary projected to sit at the top of the board and take a franchise-level defenseman. It is the kind of scenario that instantly changes the mood around a club, because landing a No. 1 pick gives a team a chance to reset its future in one swing, especially when the prospect pool at the top is being viewed so favorably.
Calgarys draft haul might not stop there, either. The same projection has the Flames picking again late in the first round, giving them another swing at a premium talent and a chance to add more help to a system that could use it. For a team trying to build something sturdier for the long term, the possibility of coming away with two high-end WHL prospects is the sort of draft-night setup that would have Flames fans watching every move closely. [Read more 🡒]