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Looking at why the Flames and Devils made the Šimon Nemec trade
Photo credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 24, 2026, 00:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 23, 2026, 23:51 EDT
It has been a wild day in the hockey world.
A lot has happened, to say the least. The Edmonton Oilers announced the hiring of Mike Babcock, the Ottawa Senators acquired William Eklund for a package that includes the ninth overall pick, and the Washington Capitals acquired Jordan Kyrou.
But the biggest move, at least regarding the Calgary Flames, saw them acquire Šimon Nemec and Maxim Tsyplakov from the New Jersey Devils for the 35th overall pick in 2026, Vegas Golden Knights’ 2027 first-rounder, Colorado Avalanche’s 2028 first-rounder, and left-shot defence prospect Étienne Morin.
For the Flames, this move is simple. Both those first round picks are going to be in the 20s, and taking a flier on a player selected second overall five years ago isn’t a bad idea. Although the Flames have a log-jam of young right-shot defencemen, Nemec will get playing time on either the first or second pairing next season, depending on where Zayne Parekh plays.
Currently a restricted free agent, Nemec made his debut in 2023-24, scoring four goals and 19 points in 60 games. However, he played most of his season in the American Hockey League in 2024-25, scoring just two goals and four points in 27 NHL games. Last season, he scored a career-high 11 goals and 26 points in 68 games.
So why would the Devils part with the enticing right-shot defenceman coming off a career-high? Well, Nemec will command a fair bit of money on his impending contract, something that the Devils likely wouldn’t be able to afford as they have just over $13 million in cap space. And that’s after trading Tsyplakov’s $2.25 million cap hit.
Another factor as to why the Devils traded Nemec is their log-jam of defencemen. Former Flame Dougie Hamilton is signed for the 2026-27 season, as are Luke Hughes, Brett Pesce, Brenden Dillon, Johnathan Kovacevic, and Jonas Siegenthaler. Nemec would’ve still played, but juggling seven capable NHL defencemen just isn’t worth it when they can get assets back.
Of the seven, Nemec had the most value thanks to his draft pedigree, his RFA status, and breakout season. But why would the Devils part with Tsyplakov? Well for starters, he just wasn’t very good in 2025-26.
Beginning the season with the New York Islanders, he scored a goal and two points in 27 games, then was traded to the Devils in late January for Onrej Palat and draft picks. He wasn’t much better with the Devils, posting an identical line in five fewer games, finishing his tenure as a minus-8.
The Devils also free up $2.25 million in cap space, allowing them some cap to fill holes on the roster while moving off an unproductive player.
While Tsyplakov was unproductive in 2025-26, the 27-year-old’s debut season in 2024-25 was a good one. Over 77 games with the Islanders, the winger scored 10 goals and 35 points in 77 games, coming off a season where he scored 31 goals and 47 points in 65 games with the Kontinental Hockey League’s Moscow Spartak.
It’s easy to see why the Flames acquired him in what will likely be another season near the bottom of the league. If Tsyplakov has a similar season to his 2024-25, they have the potential to flip the 27-year-old for assets, similar to the position they’re in with Olli Määttä and Ryan Strome. Now if he has a season like he did last season, it’s easy to cut bait and let him walk in free agency, similar to what will likely happen with Victor Olofsson.
This is a good low-bet move for the Flames, trading away two late first round picks, the 35th overall, and a left-shot defenceman who has the potential to be a third-pairing defenceman. The Devils get more draft capital which they can flip if they so choose, for a player who didn’t quite live up to expectations in Newark.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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