The New Jersey Devils have a crowded blue line that new general manager Sunny Mehta has to clean up. It is not Mehta’s fault that the Devils have too many defensemen ahead of Simon Nemec on the right side, but now this could be a player New Jersey moves on from.
There were conflicting reports on Thursday about whether or not Nemec actually asked for a trade. It was first reported by Simon Cop that “a source at Demmikn.sk said New Jersey Devils defenseman Simon Nemec requested a trade. It was also noted that the Devils’ GM, Sunny Mehta, hasn’t spoken with Nemec, nor sent him a contract extension offer.”
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Shortly thereafter, Tomas Rokop, a Slovak hockey insider for Denniksport, who has written stories on Nemec before, wrote that the Devils defenseman did not ask for a trade. However, back in 2025, Nemec caught up with Rokop about a tough start to the 2024-25 season, and while he did not request a trade out of New Jersey, if things didn’t change, that might be a conversation that may need to happen in the future.
“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 Sport’s Tomas Prokop.
So, Simon Nemec has been a topic of conversation within the rumor mill. We know the Devils had him out there as a trade chip as they looked to acquire a top-six forward. Again, more conflicting reports surfaced about whether Nemec was included in a trade package to San Jose for William Eklund. Those discussions, according to sources close to TheDevilsNation.com, did not occur.
However, as reported in April, Simon Nemec was open to a change of scenery at the trade deadline despite not making a formal trade request. The thing is with Nemec, he is a restricted free agent with no arbitration rights. So the Devils control his rights. But if the Devils were to trade him, teams with multiple first-round picks could target him.
Nemec has no leverage other than to ask for a trade or sit out. Sitting out would not be ideal for the growth of his game, which has not been handled properly since he was drafted. The second overall pick from the 2022 NHL Draft was rushed into the AHL and NHL. During the 2024-25 season, he was upset when he was sent down to the AHL.
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He was coming off an injury at the Olympic qualifiers for Slovakia and was behind the eight-ball as Johnathan Kovacevic took his spot in the lineup. But realistically, Nemec was not mature enough to be in the NHL at 18. He should have been brought over at 20-21 years old, and he would have been ready. Look what the Devils are doing with Anton Silayev.
Silayev, according to Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, will sign his entry-level deal this summer and leave the KHL. Just imagine if the Devils used Nemec properly, they wouldn’t have another Adam Larsson situation on their hands. But instead, the young defenseman was shuttled between the AHL and the NHL and punished for mistakes because he wasn’t ready for the NHL.
Nemec has shown what he can do in an expanded role when there were injuries to some of the Devils’ top defensemen, like Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce, Jonas Siegenthaler, and Kovacevic. But again, if he made a mistake, he was the one who lost ice time and was healthy scratched, unlike Luke Hughes, who was selected 4th overall at the 2021 NHL Draft.
However, despite the report claiming Nemec and his agent have not heard from Sunny Metha, that could be further from the truth. They have spoken, according to reports. Is Nemec seeking Luke Hughes money? Not according to sources close to TheDevilsNation.com; he never asked for that when he was with his old agent before switching over to Craig Oster of Newport Sports.
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What Simon Nemec did make clear is that during Devils breakup day back in April, he would love to sign in New Jersey, but was waiting on a new general manager to talk contract.
“Simon Nemec says he would love to sign in New Jersey, but his team has not talked about a contract yet. We are waiting for a new GM and knows there will be changes this summer.”
We know that before he was fired as General Manager, Tom Fitzgerald was unclear about the direction the club would take with Nemec. Every time he was asked about Nemec, there was a lukewarm response. At one point during the season, Fitzgerald stated, it was part of his job to get Nemec a new contract, but it wasn’t a task on that particular day.
Fitzgerald even talked about how the team had seven NHL defenseman on the backend and how Nemec was part of the organization until he was not. It felt like there were a lot of unwelcoming signs for the young defenseman to remain in New Jersey.
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Again, the New Jersey Devils previous administrations created this crowded blueline. Why would the Devils give up on a young defenseman like this? Where he fits into Mehta’s plan has yet to be determined. However, this reads like a Bowen Byram situation with the Buffalo Sabres all over it.
Simon Nemec could end up with a bridge deal in New Jersey before the Devils decide to pay him long-term. There is room for growth for him with the Devils. However, the Devils need to move off the Dougie Hamilton contract this summer.
Given what transpired with all the trade rumours, the timing is right for the Devils to move this summer, as he declined to speak at the year-end media availability. Speculation will continue to grow about whether Hamilton has played his final game as a member of the Devils.
Regardless, the New Jersey Devils must resolve the Simon Nemec situation and not let this drag on all summer before signing him to a contract or trading for him to upgrade offensively.
