Simon Nemec earned his latest call up with the New Jersey Devils. It wasn’t because of a mistranslated overseas article or simply because of a defenseman injury. Nemec was playing incredibly well with the Utica Comets, showing an offensive skill that would translate to the NHL. The Devils needed offense, and Nemec should have been able to bring it to them.
When Jonas Siegenthaler went down with an injury, the opportunity Nemec so desperately wanted was finally there. The Devils were moving their defensemen around to make the lineup work for the former second-overall pick. Brett Pesce is playing on his off-hand, and they paired Nemec with Luke Hughes, who has been playing incredibly well on the defensive end, stopping 2-on-1 chances with his speed.
Since he was called up before their February 6th game against the Vegas Golden Knights. He has no points in three games, and he was benched in two of those games. He played just 12 minutes against the Knights and on Saturday night against the Dallas Stars. He did get 19 minutes of ice time against the Montreal Canadiens. However, head coach Sheldon Keefe deciding to stop using you against two quality teams is not ideal.
The reason Keefe stopped using Nemec on Saturday night was likely because of his effort on Evgeni Dadanov’s goal to start the game. Yes, it was just four minutes into the game, but it wasn’t good for signs of things to come.
The Stars' Spackle- @Razor5Hole. pic.twitter.com/GRSETSoViD
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) February 22, 2025
The Devils need better from Nemec than this. They just do. Him putting no extra effort as the shot goes towards the net directly impacted that play. If he's trying to use his skating and relative speed to get to Dadonov. Nemec couldn't stop Dadonov's first shot, which is likely why he got caught watching the play. He was out of position, which is why Dadonov was open in the first place, but he still had a chance to make up for it.
But he didn't put the utmost effort to make the play, and by the time he realized that Dadonov was going to get a second chance on the puck, he was too far away to make up the space. If he started skating hard as soon as the shot happened, Nemec would likely have stopped Dadonov's second shot attempt and could have prevented the goal. That would have changed this game, which ended in a 4-2 Devils loss.
With the NHL Trade Deadline quickly approaching and the Devils seeing a glaring need at forward, Nemec might not ever play another game with the NJ crest on his jersey again. Or he could play on Sunday. Still, his time to impress this team and make the playoff roster is dwindling, and this is an opportunity that might already be gone.