The 26-year-old forward was drafted by Carolina in 2017.
While Friday night was an exciting time for many Carolina Hurricanes fans — as the team acquired by Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall in a three-team, blockbuster trade — it was also a somber time too as the team said goodbye to two long-time members of the organization.
Both Martin Necas, a 2017 first-round pick, and Jack Drury, who was drafted by the team in 2018, went the other way to Colorado as part of the deal.
The duo had been key parts of this Canes group and organization, having both won Calder Cups during their time in the AHL, and they had brought their fair share of fond memories to the fanbase.
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Necas, especially, was involved in quite a few good memories.
The Czech forward was a dazzling skater with a ton of offensive skill.
Across 411 games with the Hurricanes, Necas had 113 goals and 298 points. He led the team in scoring in 2022-23 and was on pace to do it again this year.
His skillset was even more impressive to watch in overtime, when the game opened up, and Necas' nine OT goals and 20 OT points were both second in franchise history.
Neci was a dynamic player and a fun one to watch and a few days after the trade, he penned a letter to Canes fans...
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-"To Carolina Hurricanes organization, staff, coaches and Caniacs. I will be forever grateful for my time in Raleigh. Thank you for making past 6 years so special even tho we never got to our goal to lift the cup. Words can’t truly describe all of my emotions. This definitely came as a shock and will take time to fully process it.To my Canes teammates, I loved every moment with you guys and I have learned so much from so many of you. It really felt like a family in the locker room for past couple years and i made some lifetime friends.To Avs fans, I’m very grateful for this opportunity and super excited about joining this great organization and playing infront of you in Denver.Guess after all, you can spell Canes without Necas.❤️"
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