RD Simon Nemec (2022, 2nd, NJD)

[My3Sons]

He’s been playing poorly for a while now. The fact that you say he was fine before that third period completely negate your point.

Except he was fine for the handful of games before that and he’d only played in 7 games since February started which completely negates your point. Beyond that you aren’t watching Devils games.

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

Nothing we say here matters lol. You could have made similar criticisms of Jiricek and he went for a solid haul. Does that necessarily hold true for Nemec? No idea. But I can guarantee there are a bunch of GMs out there willing to bet on him rebounding. He’s only 21.

Of course there is. They may not offer much but some GM will likely offer a lot.

 

[Dirtyf1ghter]

His offensive play is a big reason for his poor defense. He constantly cheats in the defensive zone and makes poor decisions at the offensive point leading to breaks the other way. He is very bad at playing the body and only makes weak stick plays in his own zone and doesn't seem to understand defensive positioning or leverage. Nemec constantly overcommits and doesn't have the skating ability to recover. He plays like a boy, not like a man.

I'm talking about defensive involvement.

That he currently does not have the level is not a debate.

Only one U21 defender currently has the level to be effective in the NHL.

On the other hand, I think you're completely wrong when you say he plays like a boy. He's a guy who's been playing for a very long time in the men's league (first game pro at 15) and he's doing well in the AHL in a league that's more manly than the NHL. It's just a problem of managing to transpose his usual game to a higher level. A brilliant pro career in the AHL/KHL/International player is a minimum already acquired for him.