Tom Fitzgerald Opens Up About Simon Nemec’s Development with the Devils
December 20, 2024
Tom Fitzgerald Opens Up About Simon Nemec’s Development with the Devils
8 comments
The Oilers need him as a replacement at home down the road. What do you guys want from him?
Savoie?
There is no reason to even think twice right now about Nemec future with the team. We are like 25 games into the current iteration of the D corps, and it’s going well but that doesn’t mean we move the guy we drafted second overall a couple years ago. As long as he’s content to keep working, devils should be content being patient with him.
Maybe someday things come to a point where we need to move one of Nemec or Casey, but that’s a desperation move. Right now it’s just time to bask in the glory of having the best defensive depth in the league, and with these young guys baking in the ahl it should continue for years.
When he first came up he was electric. All over the ice, in places you didn’t expect. A puck would head toward an area of ice where you know the other team will grab it and whoa, suddenly Nemec was there to get the puck instead! He was creative and productive. More so than even Luke at the time.
And then something happened. I have to imagine the coaching staff got a hold of him and explained that he needed to play within a system. That it was cool that he was all over the ice in unorthodox ways, but we also needed to be able to rely on him to be a more vanilla defenseman so the rest of the team could anticipate where he would be and what he would do.
That took the piss out of him. And he seems to be struggling to be a productive NHL d-man when he is forced to play like that. He is talented enough that I am confident he will figure it out. But I do worry that maybe his skill is in being less of a systems D and more of a maverick D
The main takeaway for me is that he’s responding well to being sent down to Utica and wants to put in the work to earn his way back up once a spot opens up.
He’s only 20 years old and has already shown he has the skill to play at an NHL level. Development in Utica is by far the best thing for him right now.
Fantastic news to see Fitzgerald and Nemec taking player development seriously. Nemec needs to work on the defensive side of his game and at 20 years old it’s good to see him taking that advice seriously and not throwing a tantrum because he lost his spot on the big club when everyone got healthy.
Also, I think anyone discussing trading Nemec away, or Casey for that matter, is really jumping the gun on what I think would be a very short-sighted decision.
In 2027 Dillon’s contract will expire and he’ll be a 36 year-old UFA, Nemec and Casey will be 23
In 2028 Siegenthaler’s contract and Hamilton’s contract will expire and they’ll be a 31 and 35 year-old UFA, respectively, Nemec and Casey will be 24
In 2030 Pesce’s contract will expire and he’ll be a 35 year-old UFA, Nemec and Casey will be 26
There’s no reason to move either Nemec or Casey. They’re both in perfect position to seamlessly replace aging veteran players in the next few years. Unless the return is some kind of superstar who’s going to be the difference-maker in a run at the Stanley Cup, I don’t really think it makes sense to entertain any kind of trades for these prospects.
New fans don’t remember the University of Lou. Only a handful of players didn’t spend time in the AHL before joining the Devils. The AHL is the best developmental league in the world and too many kids are having their careers damaged by being rushed into the NHL before they are physically and emotionally ready.
Sadly it’s just not teams like Buffalo doing it, it’s the players themselves who are trying to force teams into putting them in the NHL.
Speaking of Casey, he’s out 6-8 weeks with an upper body injury. Was at their road game Wednesday night and he wasn’t playing. No announcement by the team if was scratched or if it was due an injury. Team just announced it on the Utica team site today or late yesterday
8 comments
The Oilers need him as a replacement at home down the road. What do you guys want from him?
Savoie?
There is no reason to even think twice right now about Nemec future with the team. We are like 25 games into the current iteration of the D corps, and it’s going well but that doesn’t mean we move the guy we drafted second overall a couple years ago. As long as he’s content to keep working, devils should be content being patient with him.
Maybe someday things come to a point where we need to move one of Nemec or Casey, but that’s a desperation move. Right now it’s just time to bask in the glory of having the best defensive depth in the league, and with these young guys baking in the ahl it should continue for years.
When he first came up he was electric. All over the ice, in places you didn’t expect. A puck would head toward an area of ice where you know the other team will grab it and whoa, suddenly Nemec was there to get the puck instead! He was creative and productive. More so than even Luke at the time.
And then something happened. I have to imagine the coaching staff got a hold of him and explained that he needed to play within a system. That it was cool that he was all over the ice in unorthodox ways, but we also needed to be able to rely on him to be a more vanilla defenseman so the rest of the team could anticipate where he would be and what he would do.
That took the piss out of him. And he seems to be struggling to be a productive NHL d-man when he is forced to play like that. He is talented enough that I am confident he will figure it out. But I do worry that maybe his skill is in being less of a systems D and more of a maverick D
The main takeaway for me is that he’s responding well to being sent down to Utica and wants to put in the work to earn his way back up once a spot opens up.
He’s only 20 years old and has already shown he has the skill to play at an NHL level. Development in Utica is by far the best thing for him right now.
Fantastic news to see Fitzgerald and Nemec taking player development seriously. Nemec needs to work on the defensive side of his game and at 20 years old it’s good to see him taking that advice seriously and not throwing a tantrum because he lost his spot on the big club when everyone got healthy.
Also, I think anyone discussing trading Nemec away, or Casey for that matter, is really jumping the gun on what I think would be a very short-sighted decision.
In 2027 Dillon’s contract will expire and he’ll be a 36 year-old UFA, Nemec and Casey will be 23
In 2028 Siegenthaler’s contract and Hamilton’s contract will expire and they’ll be a 31 and 35 year-old UFA, respectively, Nemec and Casey will be 24
In 2030 Pesce’s contract will expire and he’ll be a 35 year-old UFA, Nemec and Casey will be 26
There’s no reason to move either Nemec or Casey. They’re both in perfect position to seamlessly replace aging veteran players in the next few years. Unless the return is some kind of superstar who’s going to be the difference-maker in a run at the Stanley Cup, I don’t really think it makes sense to entertain any kind of trades for these prospects.
New fans don’t remember the University of Lou. Only a handful of players didn’t spend time in the AHL before joining the Devils. The AHL is the best developmental league in the world and too many kids are having their careers damaged by being rushed into the NHL before they are physically and emotionally ready.
Sadly it’s just not teams like Buffalo doing it, it’s the players themselves who are trying to force teams into putting them in the NHL.
Speaking of Casey, he’s out 6-8 weeks with an upper body injury. Was at their road game Wednesday night and he wasn’t playing. No announcement by the team if was scratched or if it was due an injury. Team just announced it on the Utica team site today or late yesterday