Update provided after former No. 2 pick of the New Jersey Devils reportedly asks for trade

The first claim was loud: talk that Nemec had requested a trade out of New Jersey.

Nemec isn't a fringe blue-line piece. He's a 2022 No. 2 pick with top-four value baked into every conversation.

Nemec played 68 games this season, with 11 goals and 26 points. That's enough offensive output to keep rival front offices circling.

The first post lit the fuse around his future in New Jersey.

The second post pushed back directly and offered clarity, saying Nemec has not asked for a trade.

New Jersey finished 42-37-3, with a -24 goal differential. That record makes every young defenseman discussion sharper.

Keefe's job is keeping the room from turning one online rumor into a bench-side distraction.

Sunny Mehta's job is different. He has to make sure teams don't treat Nemec as available just because his name got traction.

Nemec's entry-level cap hit is $918,333, and that number is part of the appeal. Cheap right-shot defensemen with draft pedigree do not hit the market often.

That's why the denial carries weight. It protects the Devils from a lowball wave and keeps the conversation centered on development, not exit plans.

New Jersey should not shop Nemec, and it should not overreact publicly.

But internally, this is a warning shot. If Nemec's role is not clear under Keefe, the noise will come back fast.

For now, the story is not a confirmed trade request. It is a test of how firmly the Devils can control a valuable asset before the market tries to control it for them.