Simon Nemec is a restricted free agent (RFA) at the end of the 2025-26 season. Jacob Markstrom is an unrestricted free agent (UFA) and the end of the season. Ideally, the New Jersey Devils keep both players or avoid losing them in a year for nothing.
The thing is, the Devils are in a pickle, and here’s why.
Devils Can’t Extend Markstrom
Markstrom was just what the Devils needed last season. They’ve needed stability in the net for years, and he provided it with 5.0 goals saved above average. Markstrom will be the anchor in the net this season as well but he’s not the long-term answer for the Devils in the net.
Markstrom will be 36 by the time the contract expires, and giving him a long-term deal is a non-starter. With Jake Allen, who is 34, already locked up for the next five years, giving Markstrom a big deal will leave the Devils trapped with no path out (unless they want to buy out a contract and eat a ton of their cap).
The other problem is that the Devils can’t trade Markstrom. He’s a key part of the roster and will be this season as well. So, the Devils have to play out this season and hope he steps up in a contract year to lead them on a deep playoff run.
Patience is Running Thin With Nemec
Nemec was drafted with the second overall pick in the 2022 Draft. The hope was he’d become one of the building blocks of the defense and the roster as a whole. He’s barely a regular on the defense, playing only 27 games last season and 87 in two seasons with the team. Defensemen take time to develop but he’s not the elite talent the Devils thought they were drafting, and his entry-level contract (ELC) might be his last contract with this team.
It’s also important to add that Nemec has become the expendable defenseman on the Devils. With Luke Hughes making significant strides as a young defenseman and Quinn Hughes potentially on the way, whether via trade or waiting for his contract to expire, Nemec is the player they’ll trade.
The question is whether the organization can trade him now or if it’s better to wait? With Nemec, the Devils have more control since he’s an RFA and they can give him a bridge deal next offseason. However, he’s the player they can move in a blockbuster trade to get over the hump.
The Devils Best Path With Both
The team will probably give Markstrom a one-year extension and work from there. He’s not a goaltender anyone will lock up with a long-term deal, and the Devils can keep him around at a high AAV and do so on a season-by-season basis.
Nemec, on the other hand, is the player on the trade block. For now, the Devils have him on the third pair, and if he steps up and becomes a second-pair option, then they won’t have to worry about him. Nemec showed flashes last season, and with another year of development under his belt, this could be his breakout year.
That said, if Nemec is good but not great, the Devils will look to add him into any trade they make. The Devils will be a good team but to be great, they’ll need another contributor. Whether it’s Nemec or someone they get in a trade is still unknown.
Nemec should garner tons of interest. Maybe he’s part of the trade for Quinn.
If there’s a deal that makes sense, it’s Nemec and future assets to acquire Quinn Hughes. Nemec is the one Devils skater that can definitively be put on the trade block.