Key Rangers foe injured in Olympics qualifier

Simon Nemec sustained an upper-body injury before even making it to New Jersey Devils training camp in September. And now the Hudson River rivals of the New York Rangers are anxiously waiting to find out how serious the injury is.

Playing for his native Slovakia against Hungary in the second period of a qualifying game for the 2026 Winter Olympics, Nemec crashed awkwardly into the boards during a puck battle Saturday, and did not return. James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now reported that “Slovak doctors say nothing is broken or dislocated for Nemec.”

Whether or not he’ll be healthy enough — or even allowed by the Devils — to continue playing for Slovakia is not yet known.

The 20-year-old defenseman is expected to be a regular in New Jersey’s lineup this season, even after the offseason additions of veterans Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon, and the return to health of All-Star Dougie Hamilton.

It was Hamilton’s season-ending torn pectoral injury that allowed Nemec to play 60 games as an NHL rookie last season. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 draft had his ups and downs after being rushed into the NHL, but gained valuable experience. He finished with 19 points (three goals, 16 assists) and was minus-7, averaging 19:52 of ice time — fifth most on the Devils.

Another rookie defenseman, Luke Hughes, led New Jersey ATOI (21:28) and had 47 points (nine goals, 38 assists) playing all 82 games. The Devils envision Nemec and Hughes leading their defense corps well into the next decade.

But it’s Nemec’s health status at present that concerns the Devils right now, not what happens down the road.

“More tests will be run on Saturday to determine if he’ll play on Sunday game against Kazakhstan — which the Devils will need to grant Nemec permission to play,” Nichols reported.

Related: 3 Rangers who need to bounce back in 2024-25

Rangers expect improved Devils to be serious challengers in 2024-25

On paper, the Rangers and Devils are probably the two best teams in the Metropolitan Division heading into the 2024-25 season. That’s especially so considering the turnover by the Carolina Hurricanes this offseason after six seasons as a powerhouse in the division.

New Jersey finished a whopping 33 points behind New York last season and missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This after setting franchise records for wins (52) and points (112) in 2022-23, when the Devils rallied to knock off the Rangers in seven games in the first round of the playoffs.

Injuries, terrible goaltending and shoddy defensive play doomed the Devils and cost coach Lindy Ruff his job. But a flurry of offseason moves have the Devils seeking a major rebound this season, one that should make them the Rangers’ primary competition in the division.

New Jersey hired Sheldon Keefe as coach, traded for goalie Jacob Markstrom, signed defensemen Pesce and Dillon and traded for blueliner Johnathan Kovacevic, and added gritty forwards Stefan Noesen and Paul Cotter and veteran Tomas Tatar.

That’s a lot of quality heavy lifting. By comparison, the Rangers — who were up against the salary cap — had a quiet offseason, adding forwards Reilly Smith and Sam Carrick. The Rangers will largely run it back with the same team that had so much success last season.

With the margin between the teams so thin, any injury on either side can make a difference in the standings. Which is why, even weeks before the start of training camp, this Nemec injury bears watching for both the Devils and Rangers.

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