Can Simon Nemec Make New Jersey Devils Opening Night Roster?

The New Jersey Devils are bringing Simon Nemec to North America immediately after drafting him second overall. Does he have a shot to make the opening-night roster? 

There are many questions the New Jersey Devils still have to answer before the start of the season. We’re still wondering who is actually going to be the “starting goalie” between Mackenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek. There’s a lot of volatility in the bottom six. Even the top six could come with some question marks when it comes to who is playing on the wings of Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier.

One question that doesn’t necessarily need to be answered right away is the future of Simon Nemec. The Devils decided to forgo the European route that they went with other top prospects like Jesper Boqvist and Alexander Holtz. Instead, he’s coming straight to North America, which means he will join the Devils for training camp. He will get some reps against NHL competition. We expect to get into at least one preseason game. After that, anything is possible.

Anything like… making the NHL roster from day one.

The Devils have seen this happen in surprising happen before. Just last season, Dawson Mercer made the jump onto the NHL roster one year before anyone expected him to do it. Five years ago, Jesper Bratt shocked just about everyone when he made the roster after a phenomenal development camp and an even better training camp.

Will Simon Nemec make the New Jersey Devils roster right away?

To be fair, Nemec needs a LOT to go right for the Devils to make him a part of their roster right away. He’s a right-handed defenseman. Currently, the Devils have one of the most crowded right sides in the league. Dougie Hamilton is undoubtedly the top guy after Tom Fitzgerald gave him $9 million AAV last offseason. Damon Severson is still a very good second-line defender. The Devils also turned Ty Smith, a left-handed defenseman, into John Marino, another really good right-handed one.

So, for the Devils to keep Nemec on the roster, one of three things must happen. One, someone gets injured. This seems obvious, especially if it’s in the short term. Nemec can play a few games on the roster without using up one of his RFA years. The Devils need as many of those as possible, as the Jesper Bratt negotiations taught us. The second option is a trade. Would the Devils actually trade Severson when the rumors say he really wanted to be back, and might even take a pay cut to do it?

Want your voice heard? Join the Pucks And Pitchforks team!

Write for us!

For the third option, the Devils would have to move Nemec over to the left side. It’s not the craziest idea, but it sounds like asking the kid to do a lot. He already has to get used to the North American ice sheet. You want to make him play on the left side on top of that? It sounds like a bad investment into a player you’ve invested so much.

As things stand right now, it doesn’t make a lot of sense for the Devils to put Nemec on the roster. Things might happen, and with his skill set, he might be the best option if they do. For now, it looks like Nemec is Utica bound.