The Calgary Flames have been busy this offseason, completely rebuilding their blue line with the notable additions of Simon Nemec and Carson Carels. It’s time for Sunday Census. The Flames now have three former top-ten draft picks on their blue line, with Nemec selected second overall in 2022, Parekh ninth overall in 2024, and, most recently, Carels sixth overall this year.
Nemec is coming off a breakout season with the New Jersey Devils, recording 11 goals and 15 assists in 68 games while representing Slovakia at the Olympics. The 22-year-old right-shot defender will look to take on a bigger role with the Flames next season, signing a 5-year extension carrying a $7.25 million AAV.
With Nemec’s contract extension locked down, we wanted to know what Flames fans expect from their new blue liner. We asked, you answered.
How many points will Simon Nemec record next season?
We presented the poll below to our readers.
40+ points
Over a third of voters in this week’s poll think Nemec will blow the doors off his career-high 26 points and record 40+ next season. Nemec’s offensive ability is an anchor in his game and a massive reason he was the first defenceman selected in the 2022 draft. Although the Slovak struggled his sophomore season, he bounced back last year as one of the Devils’ most reliable blue liners, averaging 19:40 TOI while scoring 3 OT winners.
40+ points next season may sound like a lofty prediction, but Nemec is right on the cusp of his prime at 22 years old. He only gained confidence and got more comfortable in the NHL last season while anchoring the blue line for Slovakia at the Olympics. It appears the Flames found another pillar to their growing, young core.
30-40 points
Almost half of the fans who voted think Nemec will finish his first season as a Flame with 30-40 points. Combined with the 40+ voters, over 80% of respondents think Nemec has a career season on the horizon. Nemec will get top-pairing minutes this season and likely be featured on PP1. With the addition of Nemec and the expected breakout season from Zayne Parekh to come, one can hope the Flames’ offensive struggles of years past will be aided by their puck-hungry, right-shot defenders.
20-30 points
Only 15% of respondents think Nemec will have roughly the same output as he did last season, with 20-30 points. I’d assume most fans who opted for this option are predicting the Flames’ offensive woes to pull Nemec down rather than his addition improving the team.
Less than 20 🙁
Thankfully, less than 5% of fans think Nemec will regress next season. It’s been a while since we’ve seen this much positivity in a Flames offseason.
Nemec will undoubtedly change the look of the Flames blue line next season and have much more opportunity than he was given in New Jersey. The 22-year-old will add another dynamic to the Flames’ offence as he steps into a top-pairing role. Factor in the addition of Carson Carels and the Flames look to have one of the most dynamic and promising D-cores in the coming years.
