The Simon Nemec Dilemma: The Sad Reality

By: John Welch

The Simon Nemec situation looming over the New Jersey Devils is a good problem to have.

Simon Nemec: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images

Almost three years ago, the Devils selected Simon Nemec with the 2nd overall pick in the 2022 NHL draft. Now, the 21-year-old Slovakian is being thrown around by fans and analysts across the NHL as a potential trade target for the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, even though Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald has publicly stated that Nemec will not be traded this deadline.

The Good

 Nemec is only 22 years old. He is still developing and his stats with the Utica Comets (The New Jersey Devils AHL Affiliate) have improved from previous seasons. He has 23 points in 34 games so far this season. However, playing on a team with a (.449) points percentage this season, Nemec has a rating of +7. Nemec has been a major asset for the Comets as well as the Devils if need be.

The Bad 

Nemec has been nothing better than mediocre in his games played with the Devils this season. He has only produced one assist in 12 games played and has a rating of -2. In his last game played with the Devils against the Dallas Stars, Nemec was extremely poor in a 4-2 loss. While the Devils failed to create any major scoring chances, Nemec and current Devils defencemen Luke Hughes looked lost as a defensive pair. This was not the first time Nemec looked bad this season with the Devils. He was a part of two games in which the Devils have given up six goals or more. However, this is not the main issue with Simon Nemec.

There isn’t a Spot for Nemec

This is the unfortunate reality for Nemec. There just isn’t room right now for any new defenseman to slide into this already talented Devils defense. Even with the injury to arguably the Devils' top defenseman this season Jonas Siegenthaler, Nemec’s Utica Comet teammate, 21-year-old Seamus Casey, has looked a lot better so far this season. In just nine games played, Casey has four goals in nine games as well as a +4 rating. While these are small sample sizes, it is clear that Casey has looked miles better than Simon Nemec so far this season. However, this Devils defense is already filled with talent in the likes of Luke Hughes, Dougie Hamilton, Jonas Siegenthaler, Brendan Dillon, Jonathan Kovacevic, and Brett Pesce. Defense and goaltending are the strengths of this team which was the complete opposite of last year when the team ranked 27th in Goals Allowed Per Game.

What’s Next?

In my opinion, the Devils should trade Simon Nemec. I understand Tom Fitzgerald said that he will not be trading Nemec during this deadline. However, the Devils may need to move him for a potential and more impactful trade target. This team needs bottom six scoring badly as they have been weak in this department. Injuries to Nathan Bastian, Curtis Lazar, and Erik Haula have played a role in the problem but also poor play from Tomáš Tatar, Paul Cotter, and Ondřej Palát have been issues for the Devils all season long. The Devils have to get new pieces in this department if they want any chance of going far into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Unfortunately for Nemec, it might mean an early exit from the team that drafted him just only 20 months ago. I believe the flaws of the bottom six right now are a more important issue than trying to hold on to Simon Nemec, especially with the addition of Seamus Casey. At the end of the day, you need to score goals to win hockey games, and the Devils' bottom six are not able to do that at an efficient level right now. It may require Tom Fitzgerald to pick up the phone and try to find a player who can resolve this issue to give the New Jersey Devils the best chance of accomplishing the main goal, a Stanley Cup.