Simon Nemec clarified the situation surrounding his trade from the New Jersey Devils to the Calgary Flames, saying he did not request a trade during the offseason. The defenseman said there had been conversations about his situation, but New Jersey’s new management finally decided to go in a different direction.The trade was finalised on June 23 when the Calgary Flames acquired Nemec and forward Maxim Tsyplakov from the New Jersey Devils. Now Nemec is ready to step into a much bigger role in Calgary after a career-best season in both goals and points in the NHL in 2025-26.
Did Simon Nemec request a trade from the New Jersey Devils?
Simon Nemec said he did not ask for a trade from the New Jersey Devils before being dealt to the Calgary Flames.Things have been tough with the New Jersey Devils, especially with the leadership of the organization changing, Nemec said. New Devils general manager Sunny Mehta took over in April and made Nemec’s trade his first big move. Finally, Nemec said he was happy with the decision.The Slovak defenseman was also frustrated with his role on New Jersey’s power play. With Dougie Hamilton and Luke Hughes ahead of him on the depth chart, his opportunities were limited, despite his offence from the blue line.One didn’t ask for a trade, Nemec said, but said there had been conversations because things weren’t working out ideally for him or the team. He is totally fine if the Devils want to go that way, he said.
How did Simon Nemec perform with the New Jersey Devils?
Nemec, a young player, had his best NHL season in 2025-26 when he scored 11 goals and 26 points in 68 games with the New Jersey Devils. He also had three overtime goals, tied for the NHL lead among defensemen with Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard.The 2022 second-overall pick played 155 NHL games in his Devils career. The Calgary Flames completed the trade with him as a key long-term asset because of his development, his offensive ability and his age. He signed a five-year, $36.25 million contract in July, with an average annual value of $7.25 million.The defenseman already sees the top power-play unit as a job he wants to earn in Calgary. He also thinks the Flames could offer the bigger role that was hard to find in New Jersey.Calgary missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a fourth consecutive year after going 34-39-9 in 2025-26. With the Flames beginning the 2026-27 NHL season, Nemec now has the chance to become one of the cornerstones of the team’s rebuilding process.
