Flames acquire Devils’ Nemec in package for multiple first-round picks
Posted Jun 23, 2026 2:11 pm.
Last Updated Jun 23, 2026 2:15 pm.
A massive move has been made on the Calgary Flames’ blue-line.
The Flames acquired Simon Nemec from the New Jersey Devils, along with winger Maxim Tsyplakov, in exchange for the Rangers’ 2026 second-round pick, the Golden Knights’ 2027 first-round pick, the Avalanche’s 2028 first-round pick and defence prospect Etienne Morin, the teams announced on Tuesday.
Nemec, a restricted free agent, was the second-overall pick in the 2022 draft. He has played 155 NHL games — all with the Devils — registering 16 goals and 33 assists.
He also competed for Slovakia at each of the past two Olympics, tallying two assists in six games in Milan this February.
Now, the 22-year-old joins a young Flames blue-line in need of rejuvenation after the departures of the likes Rasmus Andersson and Noah Hanifin over the past three years.
Tsyplakov, who has one year left on his deal at $2.25 million, split last season between the Devils and New York Islanders.
The 27-year-old Russian had four points (two goals, two assists) across 49 games, but put up 10 goals and 25 assists in his rookie season with the Islanders the year prior.
Morin, 21, was selected in the second round of the 2023 draft by the Flames but has yet to reach the NHL. He had one goal and six assists with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers last season.
Each of the first-round picks headed to the Devils, who clear a logjam on their back end with the deal, are top-10 protected.
