What a Martin Necas Trade to the Ducks Could Look Like
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet revealed he doesn't think a long-term contract extension will work between the Carolina Hurricanes and Martin Necas. Should the Ducks throw their hat in the ring if the young forward is available as a trade target?
Another season with Stanley Cup aspirations for the Carolina Hurricanes has come to an end before they could advance to the Stanley Cup Final as they lost their Eastern Conference Semi-Final series to the New York Rangers 4-2.
Though the Canes have over $27 million in salary cap space heading into the summer of 2024, they have several holes to fill as they only have six (non-rookie) forwards and three (non-rookie) defensemen under contract for the 2024-25 season.
Key pieces of the Hurricanes roster like Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teravainen, Brett Pesce, and Brady Skjei will be unrestricted free agents if they don't sign extensions with Carolina.
Joining the list of restricted free agents alongside names like Seth Jarvis and Jack Drury is talented forward, Martin Necas (25).
Following the Hurricanes' elimination from the playoffs on Thursday, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported on his "32 Thoughts" podcast that he doesn't believe Necas will be a Hurricane long-term.
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"It just probably won't work out there," Friedman said when addressing the Hurricanes' offseason outlook. "I just don't think (the Hurricanes) are going to do what Necas wants to do."
Necas is arbitration-eligible this offseason and is set to hit unrestricted free agency after the 2025-26 season. If a long-term deal isn't agreed upon between Necas and the Hurricanes, Necas may elect to go the "pre-agency" route often utilized by pending RFAs closing in on unrestricted free agency. In that circumstance, players more or less dictate where they are to be traded by revealing teams they'd be willing to sign long-term extensions with.
Alex DeBrincat, Timo Meier, and Kevin Fiala are all recent examples of players who were traded one or two years before hitting unrestricted free agency.
Working under the assumption that Necas desires a long-term contract and he'd be willing to sign with them, the Anaheim Ducks may be interested in working out a trade with the Hurricanes.
The Fit
Anaheim Ducks General Manager Pat Verbeek has stated his desire to add a "top-six, right-shot" winger to the Ducks' forward group this offseason.
Martin Necas (6-foot-2, 198 pounds) scored 24 goals and 53 points in 2023-24. In 2022-23, he set statistical career highs in goals (28), assists (43), points (71), and points-per-game (.87). He averages .67 points per game throughout his NHL career, dating back to 2017-18.
Necas has all the tools to be a star player in the NHL. He has dynamic four-way mobility and puck skills. He uses a blend of misdirection and tenacity to create his own shot or get pucks to dangerous areas of the offensive zone.
He seems to fit the exact mold of player Pat Verbeek covets.
The Roster
One needn't squint to see how Necas could seamlessly fit into the Ducks' roster and the role he'd assume.
The Ducks have one of the most talented and deep cores of young players in the NHL. Trevor Zegras (23), Mason McTavish (21), Pavel Mintyukov (20), Olen Zellweger (20), Lukas Dostal (23), and Leo Carlsson (19) are already playing impactful roles in the NHL. In 2024-25, Cutter Gauthier (20) and Tristan Luneau (20) are expected to be added to that list.
Necas would be joining a team on the verge of opening their contending window, a window that's built to stay open for a substantial period of time. Alongside finishers like Cutter Gauthier and Mason McTavish or creators like Trevor Zegras and Leo Carlsson (or a combination of any of them), Necas and his potential linemates would seemingly thrive.
The System
Greg Cronin was hired as the Ducks' head coach in the summer of 2023. With him, he brought a brand of hockey he deployed, and it wasn't dissimilar to how Carolina plays.
The Ducks want to play a high-pressure style which ideally leads to elongated puck possession. Necas is a smart forechecker who can fend off defenders and singlehandedly control an offensive zone cycle.
In 2023-24, the Ducks ran a man-to-man defensive zone coverage scheme nearly identical to the one ran in Carolina with the Canes. There wouldn't be anywhere near a steep learning curve for Necas in that department.
Cronin has shown the ability to tweak and adjust systems according to his roster and their opponents. If given a little more freedom than afforded with the Canes, Necas could see his point total and game impacts increase significantly.
Necas has played on the wing in Carolina for the last few seasons but was drafted as a natural center. In a fluid and less positionally rigid system like the Canes and Ducks run, Necas' versatility could prove a significant asset for the Ducks.
The Cost
When trading for a restricted free agent with unrestricted free agency on the horizon, two aspects must be considerably weighed; the acquisition cost and the subsequent contract extension.
The Potential Trade
Using the aforementioned trades of Kevin Fiala to Los Angeles, Timo Meier to New Jersey, and Alex DeBrincat to Detroit, a template can be built and ballpark price deduced for acquiring Martin Necas.
The Ducks have nine draft picks in the 2024 NHL draft, including two in the first round. It's unlikely a trade for Necas would occur without including a first-round pick.
At least one prospect would likely need to be included in the potential trade. The Ducks have what's widely considered the NHL's top prospect pool to pull from.
The Contract Extension
A Martin Necas contract extension will likely look one of two ways depending on what he and his team value.
Necas could be seeking a shorter-term contract (likely three or four years), similar to Alex DeBrincat ($7.875 million AAV), in hopes of signing another lucrative deal when he's closer to 30 years old and the salary cap has increased significantly as it's projected to.
The other option, if he values job and lifestyle security, would be to sign a long-term (seven or eight years) contract similar to Kevin Fiala ($7.875 million AAV) and Timo Meier ($8.8 million AAV).
The fit in Anaheim for Necas makes sense from a bird's eye view. Like any negotiation, cost will be the greatest factor. Necas could prove an instrumental piece of the Ducks as they climb out of the gutter and toward sustained contention like they plan to.
Following the Canes' elimination, Necas flew to Prague to join Czechia at the IIHF World Championship where two of his teammates are Ducks' defenseman Radko Gudas and goaltender Lukas Dostal.