The Calgary Flames have moved quickly to make Simon Nemec a long-term part of their future, signing the defenseman to a five-year deal with a $7.25 million annual cap hit just weeks after bringing him in.
Nemec arrived in Calgary in a major late-June trade with the New Jersey Devils, a deal that also sent forward Maxim Tsyplakov to the Flames. New Jersey got conditional first-round picks in 2027 and 2028, a 2026 second-rounder, and prospect Etienne Morin in return. The 22-year-old Slovakian had become frustrated with his role with the Devils, and the change of scenery came as new GM Sunny Mehta started reshaping the roster.
The Flames are paying for upside here, and they’re doing it before Nemec has even skated through a full season in their uniform. A second-overall pick in the 2022 draft, he just turned in a career-best season with 26 points, including 11 goals and 15 assists, in 68 games. He also represented Slovakia at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.
At 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, Nemec fits the mold Calgary was after when it accepted the steep draft-pick price to get him: a mobile, offense-first right-shot defenseman with real long-term value. If the Flames get the player they’re betting on, he could eventually step into the spot on the right side that belongs to Rasmus Andersson now.
That would also give Calgary a promising blue-line pairing for the future alongside Zayne Parekh. The downside is obvious, though: Nemec’s two-way game is still a work in progress, and his final season in New Jersey was uneven. Even so, Calgary chose to lock in the contract now rather than wait and risk paying more after a breakout year.
In Other News...
Devils Pipeline Shakeup Just Cost Utica A Notable Young Piece
The Utica Comets have spent the offseason in motion, and the latest round of changes has only sharpened the sense that New Jersey is treating its AHL pipeline with real urgency. Devils general manager Sunny Mehta has made it clear the organization wants Utica to matter in a bigger way, with player development and the affiliates day-to-day success folded into the same planning process as the NHL club.
That shift has come with some notable turnover, including departures that change the look of the Comets roster heading toward 2025-26. Angus Crookshank is among the names moving out, and the ripple effect is already being felt in Utica as the team resets around a new mix of signings and trades before the Comets return to the Adirondack Bank Center for their Oct. 10 home opener in 2026-27. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Are Quietly Redrawing Uticas Depth Chart This Summer
Uticas summer reset has been easy to miss from a distance, but the Comets have spent the early weeks of the offseason quietly remaking the roster around the edges. Under GM Braden Birch, the Devils AHL affiliate has already seen some notable departures and a fresh wave of additions, with the kind of turnover that can change the look of a depth chart long before training camp opens.
The most interesting part for New Jersey is how many of the new faces are arriving with a chance to matter quickly. Utica has brought in a mix of proven AHL scorers, reclamation projects and depth signings, while also keeping several familiar pieces in place on new deals. The result is a roster that feels less settled than it did a few weeks ago, and the next question is which of these moves are simply about filling out the Comets, and which ones are aimed at creating a real path upward for Devils prospects. [Read more 🡒]