Good size(6’1”), skates well, moves the puck well. Can’t get a regular spot in New Jersey for some reason.
Devils fans, what’s going on?
What would be cost and what teams would be interested?
He got beat out by 7 other defensemen in camp and during the regular season. Now, in fairness, he got hurt in international play and I do believe he may have been fighting through that unsuccessfully at the start of the year, but we'll see. He wasn't happy about getting sent down and his start there was super slow as well, though he's picked it up as of late.
Kovacevic has been a defensive monster for them and they none of the defensemen have missed any games since Hughes / Pesce came back, so there hasn't been a shot to bring him back up either.
Right now, I think the most likely scenario for next year is that Kovacevic walks in free agency and there's an open RHD spot for Nemec.
I think the second mostly likely scenario is that they re-sign Kovacevic and trade Dougie.
Third most likely scenario is that they trade Nemec.
A late first as the main piece would be pretty bad no? Maybe trade for a roster player makes more sense
I don't have a ton of interest in a late first personally, but if you're moving him, you're moving him. You just take the best deal out there imo. If you end up with a package like the Jackets got for Jiricek, it's not like you can't flip that mid-late first for a roster player either, so in that situation I think you just do what you can do.
I think the devils would go in another direction and he would be a piece in a bigger or trade. Or maybe it's a prospect swap like McGroarty / Yager.