The New Jersey Devils will be sellers at the NHL trade deadline this season. The deadline will be on Friday March 6. New Jersey has played in 61 games this season. They have a 30-29-2 record with 62 points.
The Devils are in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division. New Jersey will most likely miss the playoffs this season after making it a season ago. One player that will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season is defenseman Simon Nemec.
Advertisement
Nemec is only 22 years old. He has played in 47 games. Nemec has scored nine goals and has recorded 12 assists, along with a plus/minus rating of 1. Will the Devils be able to give him a long-term deal or are they going to have to trade him for something else?
NHL Analyst Reveals That the New Jersey Devils Could Trade Simon Nemec at the Trade Deadline
New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes (86) is honored for Team USA’s gold medal winning performance at the 2026 Winter Olympics at Prudential Center.Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
(Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images)
Pierre LeBrun of TSN posted something surprising on his Twitter about the Devils and Nemec before the NHL trade deadline on Wednesday. Nemec was the second overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft by New Jersey, and he should be a major part of the franchise’s plans moving forward.
Advertisement
LeBrun said, “Going to be interesting to see what happens on the Simon Nemec front. Devils are taking calls on the second overall pick from ’22. No shortage of teams checking in. New Jersey happy to keep him, but if there’s a deal that upgrades their forwards in a real way, they’re going to listen…” If New Jersey actually were to trade him, general manager Tom Fitzgerald should be fired on the spot.
There is no way that the Devils can trade away a stud defenseman like Nemec this early in his career. He has had a nice 2025-2026 season up to this point. They better get something great in return if they are going to do this. If not, they have to keep him and find a way to get him a new contract once the season comes to an end here.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Mar 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the Other Sports section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.