Simon Nemec’s move to Calgary comes with a clear edge to it. He didn’t force his way out of New Jersey, but he isn’t hiding how he feels about the fit either.
By his own account, things never really took hold with the Devils, and once a new general manager arrived, the situation started heading toward an exit. Now the Flames have handed him a fresh start, and Nemec is making it plain that he wants to show New Jersey it was the wrong place for him.
Calgary is betting big on that rebound. The price to land Nemec was steep: multiple first-round picks, a second-round pick and a prospect.
That kind of package says the Flames view him as more than a short-term fix. Ryan Huska has already pointed to a larger role, and Nemec is aiming for top power-play time, something he never truly got a crack at in New Jersey because three players were crowding the same spot.
For a team trying to build forward, that gives this deal a real sense of purpose.
Toronto, meanwhile, is staring at a familiar problem with a new wrinkle. The offence can look overwhelming when Matthews is healthy and driving the attack, but the drop-off is obvious when he isn’t carrying things.
The team’s intriguing prospect, Gavin McKenna, doesn’t project as the kind of pure finisher who can solve that issue. He’s more of a creator than a sniper, and Toronto still doesn’t have enough of the latter.
That matters because the Maple Leafs have not been in the habit of drafting high, and plenty of picks have already been moved out in the push to win now. The pipeline isn’t barren, but it also doesn’t seem to have the answer to one basic question: who scores when Matthews doesn’t? At some point, Chayka may need to go shopping for a true goal scorer who isn’t Matthews.
In Edmonton, the biggest factor in Mike Babcock’s success may not be a star player at all. It may be associate coach D.J.
Smith. Babcock’s past has followed him for a reason, with players such as Mitch Marner and Johan Franzen speaking about how far he pushed them.
That’s the concern now: that the same thing could happen with the Oilers.
Smith’s role is to keep that from happening. Edmonton wants a hard-driving season and has made that much clear, but the line between demanding and destructive still matters.
If Smith can step in before Babcock goes too far, the setup could work. It’s a fascinating structure: bring in a coach known for intensity, then install a buffer whose job is to keep the whole thing from tipping over.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Suddenly Have A Fascinating Erik Karlsson Path
Erik Karlsson is back in the Toronto conversation, and this time it comes with a little more smoke than usual. Elliotte Friedman reported that one of his sources sees a real possibility of Karlsson landing with the Maple Leafs, with the idea tied to how both Toronto and Pittsburgh perform as the season unfolds. Karlsson is in the final season of his contract with the Penguins, and Toronto has shown interest before, which keeps the door from fully closing even if the fit has always been complicated.
The key variable is his no-move clause, but there is a scenario where that becomes less of a barrier if Pittsburgh is not in the thick of things. Torontos own roster situation also matters, since changes there could create the kind of opening that makes a swing for a star defenseman more realistic. For now, it is just a path, not a promise, but it is the sort of path that tends to linger around a team like the Leafs until the trade deadline starts to sharpen every rumor. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Fans Finally Have A Bright Prospect Story To Watch
The Marlies Calder Cup run gave Maple Leafs fans something they have been waiting to see from the organizations development pipeline: a prospect group that looked ready to matter. Torontos AHL club brought home its second championship in franchise history, and the title came with meaningful contributions from a cluster of young players whose names should be familiar to anyone tracking the future down on the farm. Artur Akhtyamov stood out enough to earn playoff MVP honors, while Ben Danford, Miroslav Holinka, Luke Haymes and Noah Chadwick all had stretches that hinted at bigger roles ahead.
For a Leafs fan base that has spent plenty of time looking for signs of depth help, the appeal goes beyond the trophy. The Marlies success offered a useful snapshot of how the next wave is progressing, and it also put a spotlight on which prospects may be closest to pushing for real NHL relevance. The upcoming season should tell us more about how quickly that group can translate a strong AHL spring into something more lasting in Toronto. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs May Have Finally Eased The Burden On Their Stars
Auston Matthews and William Nylander are heading into the season with a noticeably different kind of help around them, and it starts with the way John Chayka spent the offseason. As the Maple Leafs new general manager, he spent the summer reshaping the depth chart with a clear goal in mind: add defensively sound role players who can take on tougher, quieter minutes and make life a little easier for the top-end scorers.
Toronto brought in Colton Sissons, Teddy Blueger, Brandon Duhaime, Jack Roslovic and Nick Paul as part of that push, giving the lineup more support behind the headline names. The real question now is whether that kind of balance lets Matthews and Nylander keep producing at the level the Leafs need, or even find another gear, with fewer demands on them to carry so much of the burden themselves. [Read more 🡒]