New Jersey Devils fans are currently holding their collective breath after reports of a shoulder injury to second-year defenseman Simon Nemec. The former second-overall draft pick is playing for his native Slovakia in an Olympic qualifier. His Devils teammate Tomas Tatar is also playing in the game. It's this quirk where NHL players can play for their country to qualify for the Olympics, and this happens with teams on the outskirts.
It usually goes off without a hitch, but in this case, Nemec ran hard into the boards and suffered a shoulder injury. While still early in the process, the prognosis seems to be good.
Slovak hockey insider Tomáš Prokop claims that nothing is broken or dislocated for Nemec. He did say that Nemec was still in some serious pain, so it's still a "wait-and-see" situation until it's not.
This is obviously not the news most fans or the Devils want to hear about their 20-year-old defenseman. They need health going into a very important season for the franchise. The Devils expect to be in the hunt for the playoffs all season. While they did focus on depth on the right side of the defense, Nemec is the one guy they can't afford to lose. Both for his development and the current team, the depth will not replace what he brings to the table.
Slovakia has another Olympic Qualifier on Sunday, but it's unclear if Nemec will play in that game. Obviously, the injury is still not diagnosed, and Prokop went on to report that the Devils will have the final say on whether Nemec plays for his country. It's an important game between Slovakia and Kazakhstan, as the winner will guarantee their spot at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Stay tuned for more.