There has been a lot of speculation that right-shot defenceman Jordan Spence could potentially be moved by the Ottawa Senators this offseason. Despite having an excellent season, there has been a long-standing belief that Ottawa is still searching for another right-handed defenceman to add to its roster. Moving Spence could open up a top-four spot for a new addition. One player the Senators could be targeting is the New Jersey Devils' Simon Nemec.
Spence recorded seven goals and 24 assists while posting an impressive +15 rating during the regular season. He elevated his play in the playoffs, becoming increasingly relied upon after Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub suffered injuries. At one point, he was effectively Ottawa's second-most important defenceman.
His best performance came in Game 2, where he logged 39 minutes of ice time. It appeared that head coach Travis Green developed significant trust in Spence, giving him every opportunity to succeed. Spence goes into this off-season a Restricted Free Agent, so he will require a new contract as well
The timing of the recent trade rumours seems unusual, especially after a career year from Spence. Reports have suggested that management was unhappy with his performance, a claim that appears to have emerged unexpectedly. Last offseason, Steve Staios surrendered a third-round pick to acquire Spence, and nearly a year later, that move still looks like a strong piece of business.
The biggest reason Ottawa could consider moving on from Spence is his size. At 5 foot 11, he is the smallest defenceman on the Senators' blue line. Nemec, meanwhile, stands at 6-foot-2 and would add more size to Ottawa's defence corps. This would align with the organization's recent emphasis on adding bigger players through both professional acquisitions and amateur scouting.
Could the Senators be interested in Nemec?
If the Senators do have interest in Nemec, it would likely be because of his long-term potential rather than his current production. Selected second overall in the 2022 NHL Draft, the 22-year-old Slovak blue-liner has already played three NHL seasons, although only two of them featured more than 60 games. Nemec had the best season of his young career this year, recording 11 goals and 15 assists in 68 games.
Last month a report surfaced that Nemec had requested a trade, despite what appeared to be a strong season on his part, although there have also been suggestions that those reports were inaccurate. Regardless, Nemec continues to appear on several top-10 and top-20 trade boards, including one from the Athletic's Chris Johnston.
Ryan Novozinsky: Re Devils: Simon Nemec...publicly voiced his frustration with the organization in the past. He switched agents; He’s likely going to demand more than Luke Hughes; a trade is very likely — and everyone in the locker room knows it - nj dot com (3/25)
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) March 28, 2026
Nemec would add size, goal-scoring ability, and defensive reliability to Ottawa's blue line. While an argument can be made that Spence is currently the better player, he is unlikely to get any bigger, and size remains a trait Ottawa appears to value highly. With Carter Yakemchuk expected to be NHL-ready soon, the Senators could view Nemec as a long-term partner for either Jake Sanderson or Thomas Chabot. Some within the hockey world have questioned whether Spence can ultimately fill that role.
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