Overview
- The deal, announced Tuesday, June 23, sends Šimon Nemec and winger Maxim Tsyplakov to the Flames in exchange for two conditional top-10 protected first‑round picks, the New York Rangers’ 2026 second‑round pick and prospect Etienne Morin.
- Nemec is a 22‑year‑old right‑shot defenseman and the No. 2 overall pick in 2022 who posted 11 goals and 26 points in 68 games in 2025–26 and enters the summer as a pending restricted free agent.
- Calgary paid with picks the club had amassed in earlier trades and has the cap space to sign Nemec, who projects to get more opportunity but still carries defensive inconsistency risk that requires development.
- New Jersey, led by new GM Sunny Mehta, moved Nemec to address a crowded blue line and avoid a likely costly extension while taking draft capital and a young AHL defender in Morin to restock the pipeline.
- The two first‑rounders carry top‑10 protections and year‑shifting conditions tied to prior trades, meaning the exact draft years the Devils receive could change and those picks can be used or flipped before being exercised.