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Calgary Flames land Simon Nemec in massive trade with New Jersey

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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Jun 23 2026, 7:19 pm
Calgary Flames land Simon Nemec in massive trade with New Jersey
Ed Mulholland/Imagn Images

The Calgary Flames management group figured to have a busy weekend with the draft and has instead chosen to get things started ahead of time.

As first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Flames have acquired defenceman Simon Nemec, along with forward Maxim Tsyplakov, from the New Jersey Devils. In return, they have sent out a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 first-round pick, and blueline prospect Etienne Morin. Both first-round picks moved by the Flames are top-10 protected.

It had been rumoured following the 2025-26 season that the Devils were looking to move Nemec, who had reportedly grown sour over his lack of opportunity. He appeared in 68 games this past season, scoring 11 goals and 26 points while averaging 19:40 in ice time.

Though Nemec’s career hasn’t taken off as expected, there is plenty to be excited about here if you’re a Flames fan. Not only is he just 22 years old, but he holds a ton of potential. The right-shot blueliner is just four years removed from being taken second overall.

What’s particularly interesting about this deal is that the Flames already have plenty of young, right-handed defencemen in their system. Both Zayne Parekh and Hunter Brzustewicz logged NHL minutes this past season, while Henry Mews appears to have NHL potential. They also have two other right-shot defencemen on their current roster in Zach Whitecloud and Brayden Pachal.

As for Tsyplakov, he appears to be nothing more than a depth add. The Russian winger appeared in 49 games split between the Devils and New York Islanders this season, scoring just two goals and four points. That said, he was able to put up 35 points in his rookie season with the Isles in 2024-25.

While Conroy has plenty of things to focus on with the draft upcoming, he will also need to work out a new contract for Nemec, who is a pending RFA. Tsyplakov, meanwhile, has one year remaining on his contract, which carries a $2.25-million cap hit.

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