Flames Sign Simon Nemec To Five-Year Extension

The Calgary Flames have signed recent acquisition Simon Nemec to a five-year, $36.25MM contract extension per a team announcement. The deal will carry a $7.25MM annual average value, falling just in-line with the recent extensions handed out to Los Angeles Kings’ defenseman Brandt Clarke and Anaheim Ducks’ defenseman Pavel Mintyukov. This move will set the 2022 second-overall pick up to assume a key role on the other side of Calgary’s blue line shake-up.

The Flames acquired Nemec and forward Maxim Tsyplakov from the New Jersey Devils ahead of the NHL Draft. The Devils received a move that sent defense prospect Etienne Morin, a 2026 second-round pick, a top-10 protected 2027 first-round pick, and a top-10 protected 2028 first-round pick. Specifically, the 2027 first originally belonged to the Vegas Golden Knights, while the 2028 pick originally belonged to the Colorado Avalanche.

Nemec moved to North American pros immediately following his top selection in 2022. He had a modest start in the minor-leagues, racking up 34 points and a plus-13 in 65 games during his AHL rookie season. That was enough to step into split minutes between the AHL and NHL through the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. Nemec had flashes of impressive play, clouded by a failure to pop every shift, through his first steps in the NHL. He finished the 2023-24 season with 19 points in 60 games, then fell to just four points in 27 NHL games in 2024-25 while playing through a shoulder injury sustained during Olympic qualifiers in August, 2024.

Nemec began to kick the injury last season – and earned a full-time role in the NHL as a result. He took another small step forward, scoring 11 goals and 26 points in 68 games, but still failed to plant his feet in New Jersey’s top-four. He also lost his even-strength minutes through 2025-26, on-ice for a 47-to-63 goal differential per HockeyStats.

Through the struggles of his early career, Nemec still offers exciting upside. He shined as a mature and versatile play-driver ahead of the 2022 draft and has still shown flashes of those abilities at the top level. A move to Calgary will bring more opportunity to carve out a proper role at the top of the lineup. Nemec will also be aske dto carry less on offense, thanks to the support his two-way presence will provide offensive defenseman Zayne Parekh.

Calgary will need to sign Parekh long-term once his entry-level contract ends in 2028. If and when they do, Nemec and Parekh will represent the future of Calgary’s right-defense, while Kevin Bahl and Yan Kuznetsov lead the left-defense. Supporting that young core appears to be Calgary’s top priority over the short-term, made evident by the team’s acquisition of hard-hitting defender Jacob Middleton earlier in the week. That company should provide Nemec with plenty of support as he tracks into a top role, and likely special teams responsibilities, after three seasons in an earn-it role with the Devils.