The Canucks’ rivals at the bottom of the Pacific Division are making some interesting moves.

On Tuesday, the Calgary Flames acquired defensemen Simon Nemec and right winger Maxim Tsyplakov from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a conditional 2027 first-round pick, a conditional 2028 first-round pick, a 2026 second-round pick and defenceman Etienne Morin.

Drafted second overall by the Devils in 2022, Nemec has been on the outside of the Devils’ long-term plans for some time. Last season, Nemec hit career highs in games played (68) and points (26), but wasn’t able to vault his stock past the likes of Dougie Hamilton and Luke Hughes. In Calgary, the 22-year-old Czech will immediately have a path to a bigger role after Rasmus Andersson was traded to Vegas before the trade deadline and left the Flames with a depth chart led by Kevin Bahl and Zach Whitecloud. They also add Tsyplakov to the mix, who picked up four points in 49 games split between the Islanders and Devils.

The Flames are in a position where they have plenty of draft capital and the willingness to weaponize it, adding young players that line up with their competitive window, and Nemec fits that expectation. But the cost to get him was steep, to say the least. While both the conditional first-rounders the Devils are acquiring are top ten protected, it’s a big gamble to give up both on a player who’s underwhelmed at the NHL level.

The Canucks are a few years behind the Flames on the path to playoff contention, so moves like this aren’t in the cards for GM Ryan Johnson yet. But it does tell you that this summer is undoubtedly a seller’s market and how much some of the Canucks’ more established veterans – with more impressive NHL resumes than Nemec – should fetch on the open market.

The Senators just added a lot of draft capital in Monday’s Brady Tkachuk trade, and they’re very much looking for players who can help them now. The 23-year-old Eklund seems like an odd player for the Sharks to part with at this point in their own rebuild, but that might also tell us where they’re leaning with the second overall pick in this week’s NHL Draft. You’re probably not dealing a young 53 point winger if you don’t expect another one to be joining you shortly.

UPDATE: The Senators have sent the 9th overall pick in Friday’s draft — acquired in the Tkachuk trade — to the Sharks in exchange for Eklund. The Sharks now have the second, ninth, and 27th overall picks in the first round of Friday’s draft.