Boston eyeing up a defenseman like Simon Nemec
Conor Ryan of Boston.com: It is no secret that Simon Nemec has been as open to a deal out of Jersey as he is to staying in New Jersey. Honestly, the answer to the question truly depends on who you ask. Anyway, Don Sweeney and the Boston Bruins need a puck-moving defenseman. The reality is they crave a top-four right-handed shooting defenseman at that.
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While the bigger names are out there in the defenseman hierarchy, Nemec is a young player with arguably quite a bit of upside. The problem is, does Boston want to risk spending a lot of dollars on a Darren Raddysh or Rasmus Andersson? Either one of those would command an AAV in the range of $7.5 to $9.5 million.
The Nemec to Boston rumor makes a little sense. New Jersey’s second overall pick in the 2022 draft has played 155 games over three seasons. Last year, he only played 68 while showing flashes of top-end talent. Unfortunately, finding a constant spot in a Sheldon Keefe lineup proved to be sometimes adventurous.
Nemec is a player who can check all of Boston’s boxes. Does Sweeney even make an offer?
Nashville and some Free Agent Defensemen
Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean: Yes, the Nashville Predators need a defenseman among other things. Nashville also has not named a General Manager as of press time. After players like Darren Raddysh, John Carlson, and Rasmus Andersson, there is a drop in quality. Most of the bottom half of the list are almost stopgaps or physical presences, including former Predator Jeremy Lauzon.
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Again, does one pay high on players like Raddysh, Andersson, or even Carlson? Having an aging Roman Josi on the roster creates concern already, but risking dollars on a potential dud could compound the blueline problems. A player like Connor Murphy may not cost as much and can eat up some minutes as he did for Edmonton.
Finally, does Nashville even bother with these free agents and try to go the trade route instead? That is an excellent question. Again, without a General Manager in place, it is hard to speculate on the direction the Predators may go here. However, one thing is clear. Nashville needs defensemen and not just one. So, maybe Nashville dips into Column A and Column B, so to speak.
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