When it comes to the Calgary Flames and their rebuild process, general manager Craig Conroy seems like he’s working from the net out. He was an assistant general manager when Dustin Wolf was drafted in 2019, but he was in the big chair and pulled the trigger on 2024 trade that sent Jacob Markstrom to New Jersey to facilitate Wolf’s move to full-time NHL duty.

As Wolf worked his way into the NHL, Conroy’s scouting crew has also been working on the blueline. In 2024, at ninth overall, he selected Ontario Hockey League standout Zayne Parekh. Parekh was an exceptional offensive producer in the OHL, with his offensive output in that circuit being the most by a single player in decades.

But in the modern NHL, you cannot win with just a single offensive weapon your blueline. And during the 2026 off-season, an opportunity arose for Conroy to add a second ace to the fold.

Back in 2022, the New Jersey Devils drafted Slovakian standout Simon Nemec at second overall, one spot after Montreal drafted countryman Juraj Slafkovsky. Much as Parekh has, Nemec has built up a pretty impressive resume at a young age. Just 22 years old, he’s already played two full years of pro in Slovakia, been to two Olympics (winning bronze in 2022), and racked up 155 NHL games. He’s shown promise as an up-tempo, offensive blueliner.

However, the Devils already had Dougie Hamilton on the roster in 2022 when Nemec was drafted. And Luke Hughes, selected by the Devils fourth overall in 2021, was another prominent offensive blueliner. He arrived on the NHL roster at the end of 2022-23, after two seasons in college at the University of Michigan, and he found his rhythm at the NHL really quickly.

All of a sudden, the Devils had a surplus. Hamilton was a reliable veteran with a contract that was tough to move. Hughes was young and had found his game at the NHL level. And Nemec, who still needed a bit of refinement, was the third guy on their depth chart. In a sense, Nemec was kind of stuck in limbo in New Jersey, and the Flames managed to find an opportunity to upgrade their team.

On June 23, 2026, the Flames acquired Nemec and Maxim Tsyplakov in exchange for Etienne Morin, a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick and a 2028 first-round pick.

In New Jersey, Nemec’s development hit a ceiling. In Calgary, with far fewer established offensive defenders in the fold, it can be argued that a ceiling doesn’t exist.

So what does the first season for Nemec in Calgary look like?

If nothing else, we know he’s likely going to play a lot. In recent interviews, notably coming out of the European Player Media Tour, Nemec has mentioned his conversations with head coach Ryan Huska and his own preparations for increasing his ice time in all situations – he’s taken up biking to help build up his cardio. He’s aspiring towards getting top unit power play time, too – we’ll see whether he splits time with Parekh, or if they end up teaming up on the top unit.

Nemec is a 22 year old with a ton of promise. By giving up a lot of assets to acquire him, and then by locking him into a hefty contract, the Flames are betting on his untapped upside. It’s definitely a high risk proposition. But if Nemec can grow towards that upside, and find chemistry with Parekh, Carson Carels and Kevin Bahl on the blueline, the rewards could be massive, too.

It certainly seems like they’ll be giving him every opportunity to find that upside, starting with the upcoming season.

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