Overview
- The trade, announced Tuesday, June 23, sends 22-year-old right-shot defenseman Šimon Nemec and winger Maxim Tsyplakov to the Calgary Flames in exchange for two conditional first-round picks, the New York Rangers’ 2026 second-round pick and prospect Étienne Morin.
- Both first-round picks moving to New Jersey are top-10 protected — one originally from the Vegas Golden Knights in 2027 and one from the Colorado Avalanche in 2028 — which can delay which year the selections actually convey.
- Nemec, the No. 2 overall pick in 2022 who scored 11 goals and 26 points in 68 games in 2025–26, is set to become a restricted free agent on July 1 and will require Calgary-led contract talks or a potential offer sheet.
- The Devils traded Nemec partly to create cap space and accumulate flexible draft capital as a rebuild tool, while Calgary used previously acquired late first-round assets to add a near-term, high-upside right-side defense option.
- Étienne Morin is a 2023 second-round AHL-level prospect included in the return to New Jersey and could help restock its pipeline, while Tsyplakov is a low-risk one-year depth addition for Calgary with roughly a $2.25 million cap hit.