Skip to content
Your daily dose of hockey
News

Simon Nemec must be a target for Kent Hughes (not David Jiricek)

 Michaël Petit
Share : facebook icon twitter icon
Simon Nemec must be a target for Kent Hughes (not David Jiricek)
Credit: Getty Images

Lately, David Jiricek’s name has been on the lips of enthusiasts and experts alike.

The Columbus Blue Jackets’ young defenseman prospect is currently on the trade market, and the Canadiens are said to be in the running.

Jiricek remains a very good prospect, but his last two years have been rather ordinary in terms of development, and many experts are noticing major shortcomings in his game.

The Czech defenseman is supposedly a very reliable defenseman with a big frame and a very heavy shot.

However, many have criticized his development and fewer and fewer people see Jiricek as a solution in Montreal.

Mathias Brunet wondered last night whether he prefers Logan Mailloux to Jiricek.

And it makes sense.

As Anthony Marcotte so eloquently explained in the latest episode of The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro, the Habs already have a similar defenseman in Mailloux.

With a few thoughts, while at first glance I could see Jiricek with the Habs, I don’t think he’s the answer.

There’s another young right-handed defenseman who could change his skill set, and he’s with the New Jersey Devils.

Slovakian Simon Nemec, who was picked 2ᵉ right after his compatriot Juraj Slafkovsky in 2022, would be a much better fit in my opinion.

RDS actually published an article recently about possible defensive targets Kent Hughes should aim for, and Nemec is one of them.

The 20-year-old defenseman played 60 NHL games last season, but this season he’s more of a 7ᵉ defenseman and has only appeared in nine games.

He hasn’t played in the NHL since October 22…

Definitely, a change of scenery would be welcome in the Slovak’s case and it would be very surprising if he wasn’t hot on the idea of joining Slafkovsky.

The price is likely to be higher than Jiricek’s, but it’s worth spending more to acquire his services.

He would also provide defensive stability on the right side with an aging David Savard and a Logan Mailloux not known for his defensive reliability.

It would make sense for the Habs and Nemec’s clan, but the Devils would have to make a tempting offer to part with Nemec.

It’s worth a try, and the Habs have a number of interesting players to offer.


Overtime

– Too bad for the Rocket, who started the game well.

– Head coach Pascal Vincent spoke to the media following the Laval Rocket’s 5-3 loss.

– Another interesting plateau within reach for Sidney Crosby.

– Is Tyler Seguin back in Dallas? 19 points in 18 games for the 32-year-old forward this season.

facebook icon Share twitter icon Tweet linkedin icon Share
Copied!
More Content