Entering the season, the New Jersey Devils had a mission to return to the playoffs. However, with such a young defense corps last season, the team took a step back. The Devils were never able to replace the losses of Damon Severson and Ryan Graves. It was a gamble that did not pay off for Tom Fitzgerald and the Devils, which is why the NHL Rumors swirled around what the Devils were going to do in the offseason.
NHL Rumors: New Jersey Devils Looking to Add Scoring and Defense
Well, the Devils President and General Manager went out and revamped his entire defense corps. He moved out John Marino and brought in guys like Brenden Dillon, Johnathan Kovacevic, and Brett Pesce to make the team tougher to play against.
Kovacevic has been quite the surprise for the Devils this season. New Jersey thought he would be more of a depth defenseman when they picked him off waivers from the Montreal Canadiens. However, he took advantage of injuries to Pesce and Luke Hughes to be a staple of the Devils top four in their defensive unit.
As Tom Fitzgerald told Jimmy Murphy on the Eye Test Podcast back in November, he had an idea of what Kovacevic could bring to the table but exceeded expectations.
I had a snapshot of him when my boys were at BC, playing against him. And I just remember Mark Dennehy, he was his coach, and Mark is now our chief amateur scout. He would talk so highly of him and these right shot guys, they’re like unicorns, especially if they’re six, four and weighing 220 pounds. Like they just had a glut of defensemen in Montreal, and they were looking to move one or two of them, and I was looking to build depth. To be quite honest, I thought he was going to come in and be our number seven. And Gee, what a good number seven to add. And I tell you, he took advantage of Pesce and Luke Hughes injuries, and really hasn’t taken his foot off the pedal. Him and Jonas Siegenthaler have been a tremendous shutdown pair. One of the best in the league, statistically and analytically, which is good to see.
Fitzgerald doubled down on those comments in a recent interview with RG Media, where he was asked about the upcoming contract discussions with the pending unrestricted free agents.
NHL Rumors: The New Jersey Devils Are Linked to Montreal Canadiens Jake Evans
According to PuckPedia.com, he is in the final year of the three-year deal he signed with the Montreal Canadiens, which carries a cap hit of $766,667. While he was eligible to sign an extension this past summer, the Devils had other priorities. However, there is a desire to get the defenseman signed to a new deal once meetings are done.
“Not yet,” Fitzgerald replied when asked if contract talks had begun with Johnathan Kovacevic. “Just getting back from our scouting meetings in Florida. Wanted to get this meeting out of the way before calling.”
So if Johnathan Kovacevic, where would that leave defenseman Simon Nemec?
Could Simon Nemec Be on the Way Out?
Currently, the second overall pick from the 2022 NHL Draft is down in the AHL with the Utica Comets. After playing a major role with the Devils last year because of the injuries on defense, there were expectations he would be back with the big club this season.
Ideally, he would have played in the AHL last year and developed to prepare for the NHL this season. And while he did not struggle, you could see he needed to work on his defense. As he struggled to find his game this season and the rise of Koavecic’s play, along with the returns of Pesce and Hughes, Nemec went down to the minors.
New Jersey Devils Need To Learn How To Adjust Their Style of Play
He was unhappy about it, and an article published on Thursday suggests that if he does not return to the NHL, he could ask for a trade similar to what we saw with David Jiricek and the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“It’s hard to say; it’s still too early to request a trade. If this situation continues, it will have to be addressed, but, for now, this is how it stands.” Nemec said to Dennik Sports Tomas Prokop. “I believe I’ve proven multiple times that I belong in the NHL. I just have to wait for another chance.”
This is a business, after all, and the Blue Jackets ended up moving Jiricek to the Minnesota Wild. In the past, the Devils have been reluctant to move him; in the past, a contract extension could open those discussions in the future.
NHL Rumors: Will the New Jersey Devils Extend Jacob Markstrom and What is Next?
It is interesting that this report came out the day after Nemec had a five-point night for the Utica Comets and was named the first star. However, it is clear from his comments that he wants to play in the NHL and believes he can do so.
If the Devils were to make a major move either at the deadline or in the offseason, Simon Nemec could be in play as teams have called in the past.
It will be interesting to see how the Devils handle Jonathan Kovacevic and Nemec moving forward. So Tom Fitzgerald has a lot of work to do between now and the end of the season.
