Latest NHL Rumors on Potential Simon Nemec Trade from Devils At 2026 Deadline

The New Jersey Devils could be considering trading a young, pending RFA defenseman ahead of Friday's trade deadline.

TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported Wednesday that the Devils "are taking calls" on 22-year-old blueliner Simon Nemec.

"If there's a deal that upgrades their forwards in a real way, they're going to listen," LeBrun wrote.

Nemec, who has recently been skating on the Devils' bottom defense pairing alongside Brenden Dillon, has registered 21 points (nine goals, 12 assists) in 47 games while skating 19:42 per night.

The No. 2 pick of the 2022 draft is playing this season on the final year of his rookie deal before he is set to hit restricted free agency this summer.

Last January, Nemec reportedly told Slovakian news outlet Dennik Sports (h/t NJ Hockey Now's James Nichols) that he was unhappy with how much time he was spending in the AHL.

Nemec has since become a full-time NHLer this season, and he's reached a career-high points total despite missing 12 games to injury in December.

Moving him would leave some questions about the depth down the right side of the Devils' blue line as well as the future of the team's defensive core. Nemec and 22-year-old Luke Hughes are the only defenseman under the age of 28 on the active roster.

The New York Islanders could be a team to watch if the Devils decide to shop Nemec. The Athletic's Arthur Staple said in November the Isles had reached out last offseason about a potential trade for the defenseman.

The Devils are coming off a 5-1 victory over the Florida Panthers featuring a Nemec empty-netter on Tuesday night, but that hasn't helped them get much closer to a playoff spot.

With 21 games remaining in the season, the Devils (30-29-2) are currently 11 points back and six teams behind the Boston Bruins for the final Wild Card spot in the East.

With odds of postseason contention getting slimmer, the Devils may have an eye on how to retool for next season at the deadline.

That could start by addressing the lack of offense that has plagued the Devils all season.

The Devils rank sixth the NHL with 29.4 shots per game but 30th with 2.51 goals per game, and they're posting a league-worst shooting rate of 6.6 percent at 5v5.

That number drops to 3.12 percent, also the lowest in the NHL, when taking into account all shot attempts at even strength (h/t MoneyPuck).

Part of the Devils' struggles have been connected to a step back from Jacob Markstrom, who has posted a .888 save percentage through 33 appearances this season.

It could be trickier to make changes in goal than on offense, however. Markstrom is also signed for two more years with a full no-move clause this season and a 20-team no-trade list for the 2026-27 campaign, per PuckPedia.

The Devils could be hoping revamping their offense could allow this team to step back into postseason contention in front of a bounce-back campaign from Markstrom.

General manager Tom Fitzgerald may need to decide whether parting ways with a young defenseman still under contractual control would be worth adding scoring ahead of the deadline.