NHL Rumors: Bruins & Devils Linked To Trade

Wednesday, June 03, 2026 ,
New Jersey Devils defenseman Simon Nemec celebrates goal during 2026 game.

There's conflicting reports that Simon Nemec has requested a trade from the New Jersey Devils.

James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now shut those reports down on Friday, saying flatly that Nemec has not requested a trade.

What Nichols could not shut down is the fact that several league sources view Nemec as available, and the Devils have a decision to make on his future as a pending restricted free agent by July 1. 

The Boston Bruins have been linked to him by multiple Boston outlets in reporting that predates the disputed trade request story entirely.

Mason Lohrei has been discussed in trade conversations specifically in the context of a Nemec package to Boston.

Per 98.5 The Sports Hub's reporting, the Bruins' playoff loss to the Sabres put Nemec's name in Boston discussions for a big need the team is missing.

The second overall pick in the 2022 draft is a great skater, an excellent puck-mover, shoots the puck with real volume and quality, and plays an uptempo game that is the opposite of what the Bruins' defense looks like.

Nemec posted 11 goals and 26 points in 68 games this season while averaging 19:40 of ice time. Those numbers that don't reflect his potential as much as they reflect a Devils team that has been one of the worst in the league during his three seasons.

None of the eight Boston defensemen who played in the first-round series against Buffalo scored a goal, and not one managed more than two points.

The Sabres' forecheck buried the Bruins repeatedly because the Boston blue line lacked the skating ability and quick decision making to exit the zone cleanly under pressure.

Nemec addresses that problem as directly as any defenseman available on the trade market.

He is 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, a right-shot, and would give Don Sweeney a high-upside youth on the right side that signing a veteran UFA like Rasmus Andersson or Darren Raddysh would not.

The Bruins will not be alone in the pursuit, if he is available.

The New York Islanders have also been linked to Nemec, and multiple contenders have quietly placed calls to New Jersey.

A package built around Lohrei as the centerpiece with additional assets would give the Devils a legitimate left-shot offensive defenseman and the prospect capital Sunny Mehta needs to start building the contender he has described as his organizational priority.

Photo Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

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