Simon Nemec isn’t wasting time looking back at New Jersey. He’s in Calgary now, and the 22-year-old defenceman is treating the move like a clean slate.
Nemec arrived in Calgary a couple of weeks ago, settled in with his fiancée, and got to work. The setup with the Flames is a very different one from what he had with the Devils, where he was not used nearly as much as Dougie Hamilton or Luke Hughes.
After a conversation with Devils GM Sunny Mehta last spring, it was clear something had to change. But Nemec isn’t interested in turning that into a revenge tour.
He said he’s not trying to prove anybody wrong. He just wants to play hockey and get a little better every single day.
That approach fits the way he handled his offseason, too. Back home in Slovakia, Nemec spent a lot of time on a road bike, pushing through the mountains around his hometown to get in shape. The reason was simple enough: his strength coach does Ironman triathlons, and Nemec decided to take a crack at that kind of training himself.
It’s hard not to see the connection to Zdeno Chara, the other Slovak defenceman whose name carries real weight when it comes to conditioning and long-term preparation. Chara was known not just for his size and physical dominance, but for the relentless way he trained and cared for his body year after year.
Nemec, at 22, seems to be borrowing a little from that blueprint. The bike rides through the Slovak mountains are one piece of a bigger plan, one that looks less about a quick reset and more about building something that lasts.
For Calgary, the goals are straightforward. Nemec wants to play better, feel better on the ice, and find some consistency.
He doesn’t need to be flashy every night. He needs to become the kind of defenceman a team can trust, and the Flames are giving him a real chance to do that with more minutes and more responsibility.
He’ll also have some help getting settled. Fellow Slovaks Samuel Honzek and Martin Pospisil are already around, which should make the transition easier. And Calgary didn’t bring Nemec in just to hide him on the depth chart.
The bigger question is whether he can eventually grow into the top-pairing defenceman his draft position suggested back in 2022, when New Jersey took him second overall. Nemec doesn’t seem to be chasing shortcuts. He’s trying to build toward something, and if that starts with a summer spent riding like Chara, it’s not a bad place to begin.
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Devils Season Outlook Hinges On One Massive Roster Question
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From the Devils perspective, either player would alter the roster in a major way, but in very different spots. Hellebuyck would change the picture in goal, while Hughes would instantly affect the blue line and the way the team builds out from there. For now, though, the question is less about which star fits best and more about whether New Jersey is willing to make the kind of move that would force every other part of its roster puzzle to change with it. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Top Six Debate Centers On Finding The Right Fit For Hughes
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Luke Evangelista has emerged as one plausible answer on Hughes side, while Anthony Mantha could be the kind of complementary piece who settles in alongside Hischier. Connor Brown is still in the mix for the top line, and names like Evan Rodrigues, Dawson Mercer and Arseny Gritsyuk give New Jersey enough flexibility to imagine several different versions of the top six, with the final shape likely determined by which combinations click best once the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]
Nico Daws Suddenly Holds The Key To The Devils' Crease
The Devils came out of the Jacob Markstrom trade with a goaltending picture that looks sturdy on paper, but far less settled than it did a few weeks ago. New Jersey is preparing to lean on a three-goalie setup with Jake Allen, David Rittich and Nico Daws, a structure that should help spread out the workload over the season while giving the club some flexibility as it sorts through the crease.
For all the planning, this arrangement still seems to hinge on Daws becoming more than just another option in the mix. Allen and Rittich bring experience, but the Devils do not have a clear-cut No. 1, and the whole approach works best if Daws can establish himself as a dependable NHL starter. If he does, New Jersey can make the rotation work. If he does not, the search for stability in goal could quickly become the story of the season. [Read more 🡒]