A steady stream of conflicting reports has surfaced in recent weeks: Simon Nemec has requested a trade; Simon Nemec has not requested a trade; Simon Nemec is seeking $9 million per season; Simon Nemec is not seeking $9 million per season. You see the pattern — plenty of noise, limited clarity.
At the trade deadline, I reported that GM Don Sweeney had engaged in conversations with then‑Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald. At the time, I noted that I did not know which players were involved. Only days later, several national outlets began suggesting that Nemec’s name had been part of those discussions.
I’m now told that new Devils GM Sunny Mehta is open to revisiting any discussions his predecessor held with rival general managers.
The central question is whether the Devils are genuinely exposed to an offer sheet. In many cases, the mere possibility of an offer sheet is enough to push negotiations into more serious territory. To understand how vulnerable — or insulated — New Jersey might be, we first need to take a clear look at the organization’s current position.
The Devils have six defensemen already under contract:
| PLAYER | AAV | CLAUSES |
| Dougie Hamilton | $9,000,000 | 10-team No Trade |
| Luke Hughes | $9,000,000 | – |
| Brett Pesce | $5,500,000 | No Movement |
| Brendan Dillon | $4,000,000 | 10-team No Trade |
| Johnathan Kovacevic | $4,000,000 | No Trade |
| Jonas Siegenthaler | $3,400,000 | 10-team No Trade |
It’s evident that if the Devils intend to keep Nemec, they will need to move a defenseman elsewhere. Luke Hughes is firmly part of their long‑term core, and the remaining five defensemen all carry some form of trade protection — a factor that complicates any potential move. That’s item one that can increase the threat of an offer sheet.
Based on PuckPedia’s figures, the Devils currently have $10,902,500 in available cap space. They still need to address up to three forward spots — the 12th, 13th, and 14th positions — and potentially a seventh defenseman, depending on how the Nemec situation unfolds. If those forward roles are filled at the league minimum ($850,000 each), New Jersey would be left with roughly $8.35 million in cap space. In that context, the threat of an offer sheet becomes more credible, particularly if you put any stock in the reports suggesting Nemec is seeking $9 million per season.
There is, however, an important caveat. The Devils could match any offer sheet because teams are permitted to exceed the salary cap by up to 10 percent during the offseason, giving them time to negotiate a corresponding move before the start of the regular season. The risk is significant: if they’re unable to move one of their defensemen, they may be forced to part with a player they had no intention of trading.
During the Bruins’ end‑of‑season press conference on May 6, Sweeney addressed the topic of offer sheets with a noticeably different tone than in years past.
“I mean, they’re part of the CBA,” Sweeney said. “St. Louis executed one, executed two, to tell you the truth. And the cap will be a little more difficult to navigate at that stage because there is room for the vast, vast majority of teams. So, it takes a unique situation when a team has sort of boxed themselves in to some degree in terms of executing it. It’s at our disposal.
“I don’t think any general manager — I think Doug (Armstrong) described it very well, that if his mom was running another team, he’d still do it. And I think we all have to look at it that way. It’s just, look, we’re friendly, but we’re not brotherly in terms of how we operate as general managers. You have to execute when it presents, and if you can, you can. I just think it’ll be a little more difficult with the cap going up and the space that most teams have”, added Sweeney.
An offer sheet remains a possibility, but the more realistic scenario is the threat of one — particularly if you believe the reports suggesting Nemec is seeking $9 million annually. If a team is genuinely interested in the defenseman, placing a call to Mehta before July 1 and signaling an intention to pursue an offer sheet could accelerate trade discussions, especially if the Devils feel they’re being backed into a corner.
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