On Simon Nemec's emergence as an offensive dynamo

Simon Nemec has taken several steps forward and posted some of the best offensive impacts in the NHL.

Be sure to join the Discord channel to talk hockey with our writers and subscribers.

---

By JP Gambatese (@JP_Gambatese)

There is perhaps no better story for the 2025-26 New Jersey Devils than the sudden breakout of Simon Nemec.

Because of injuries to right-handed defensemen Brett Pesce and Dougie Hamilton, Nemec was thrust into a far more significant role than he has been accustomed to in the NHL.

His performance in said role has been so outstanding that, even with the return of Hamilton, Nemec has remained as the Devils’ most-used righty blueliner.

It’s a breath of fresh air for the Devils, who, with the downtrend of Hamilton and lack of true breakout from Luke Hughes, have been in need of a legitimate #1 defenseman.

While it’s far too early to crown Nemec as a number-one, given that this level of play from him is a very recent development, he has been playing like one for a couple of weeks.

I would argue that much of that has to do with his deployment.

It seems as though, with increased responsibility and an increased ability to get into a rhythm, the success rate of Nemec’s plays increases.

In a recent conversation I had with ex-Devils captain Bryce Salvador, he noted the difficulty of having to sit for several minutes without having established a tempo, and said that it was likely that Nemec is the type of defenseman who needs 20+ minutes to truly get comfortable in his game.

The on-ice results tend to agree with that consensus.