Calgary Flames sign Nemec to $36.25-million contract extension
The Calgary Flames have locked up a big part of the blueline.
Just weeks after trading for defenceman Simon Nemec, the team announced on Monday that they had inked the 22-year-old to a five-year contract. The new deal will run through the 2030-31 season and carries a cap hit of $7.25 million.
Nemec will become the second-highest paid player on the Flames, with only Jonathan Huberdeau ($10.5 million) carrying a bigger cap hit.
FOUND NEMO š
We've signed Simon Nemec to a five-year contract with an AAV of $7.25 million! pic.twitter.com/wcwIFTjmoC
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) July 6, 2026
Nemec was initially a second-overall pick from the New Jersey Devils back in 2022. He was projected to be a top-pairing defenceman in his draft year, but has struggled to live up to those high expectations ever since.
The Slovakian blueliner bounced between the AHL and NHL for the first few years of his professional career, before finally graduating as a full-time member of the Devils last season. Nemec put up 11 goals and 26 points in 68 games in New Jersey this past year.
It’s a bit of a risky bet for Flames GM Craig Conroy, as Nemec still has a lot to prove and will now need to live up to a hefty cap number. In theory, he’s the perfect player for this Calgary team as they try to load up on young players to help accelerate the rebuild.
The high number shouldn’t hinder the Flames’ ability to make more moves this summer, as PuckPedia currently projects Calgary to have about $14.8 million in cap space after signing Nemec.
Whether or not Conroy opts to use the rest of that cap space this summer remains to be seen.