The Flames have acquired defenceman Simon Nemec and right winger Maxim Tsyplakov from New Jersey in exchange for a conditional 2027 first-round pick (VGK), a conditional 2028 first-round pick (COL), a 2026 second-round pick (NYR) and defenceman Etienne Morin. Both conditional first-round picks are top 10 protected.
Nemec, a native of Liptovsky Mikulas, Slovakia, skated in 68 games for the New Jersey Devils in 2025-26, posting a career-best 26 points from 11 goals and 15 assists along with 26 penalty minutes. The 22-year-old also represented Slovakia at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics, registering two assists while skating in all six of Slovakia’s contests throughout the tournament, helping them finish in fourth place. He has now represented his nation at two different Olympic games, helping Slovakia win Bronze at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Nemec is a veteran of 155 NHL games, making his debut during the 2023-24 campaign after being selected by the Devils second-overall in the 2022 NHL Draft, becoming the highest Slovakian-born defenceman ever drafted.
Prior to that, he captained Slovakia at the 2021 Hlinka Gretzky Cup being named tournament MVP with six points. Later that season, he again represented Slovakia at the 2022 IIHF World Championship where he set a record for the most points by an 18-year-old defenceman in tournament history with six in eight games.
