Sunny Mehta took over as New Jersey Devils GM and had a huge job to do. He had some heavy contracts that needed to get off the books. He did that immediately, sending Jacob Markstrom to the Florida Panthers. He just put Stefan Noesen on waivers, saving close to half of his contract against the NHL salary cap.
One interesting move is when he sent Simon Nemec to the Calgary Flames for two first-round picks, a second-round pick, and Etienne Morin. The Devils used the second-round pick to actually take two players, trading down to take Matias Vanhanen at 37 overall and Lavr Gashilov in the fourth round. Both prospects have a lot of time before we know if they have NHL chops. So far, so good with both of them, but they are playing in smaller waters to start their professional hockey journey.
But let’s circle back on Nemec. The trade was a big risk. The Devils traded a former second-overall pick for two draft picks that have no chance of ending up there. One of the first-round picks belongs to the Colorado Avalanche, and the other originally belonged to the Vegas Golden Knights.
It was a risk, but it looks like it’s already working out. The Flames had to give Nemec a long-term deal. While they were smart to give him a contract before the Leo Carlsson offer sheet, he was still given a five-year, $36.5 million contract. He was rumored to be getting as much as $9+ million per season, but he settled for a little over $7 million.
Simon Nemec has not been good for the Calgary Flames
While it’s incredibly early in Nemec’s career, the results have been putrid. He has zero points in four games, and his on-ice results have been even worse. Nemec is a -9, the worst in the league so far this season. Now, +/- is not a great stat, but it does tell a story when it’s at the extremes. To have a -9 after four games is a really bad four games.
The Calgary Flames are not a good team this season. Okay, that’s an understatement. The Flames are the only team in the league with zero points in the standings. They are 0-4 with no overtime points.
Now, as we write this, Nemec did get a secondary assist on Morgan Frost’s goal against the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night, but it didn’t change much.
The Nemec trade is a distant memory for Devils fans, but it’s already looking great for the Devils. Nemec might be a player who struggles throughout his career. It’s not his fault for the most part. He had a terrible development track, and Tom Fitzgerald didn’t set him up to succeed. He’s incredibly clutch, and he would have made more sense in a place like Colorado or Vegas- ironically, the two draft picks he was traded for.
Nemec does his best work when the most is on the line. He scores in overtime, even sometimes in the playoffs. He steps up when necessary, but the Flames are going to be nowhere near the playoffs, so that is just going to look bad for him.
Add us as a preferred source on Google