The Blackhawks appear interested in a young Hurricanes forward, but may have to be the first to up their offer.
The discussions have been non-stop surrounding the Carolina Hurricanes and what could be done with all of the free agents the team has to deal with this summer from RFAs to UFAs. One of the main topics of conversation involves Martin Necas who is just 25 years old and is an RFA.
Unlike many other free agents the Hurricanes must deal with one way or another, the team still holds the rights to Necas and can either sign him or trade him. The situation is leaning towards his departure from the Hurricanes sooner rather than later.
The Chicago Blackhawks have been brought up by name by Pierre LeBrun as he reported "I'm told 5-7 teams invite intriguing possibilities for the Hurricanes, but no one has gone up to the price they'd like to see. Winnipeg, Chicago, Boston, Montreal among the teams that have inquired."
In terms of bringing in a player entering his prime, this would be a good move. The Blackhawks clearly want to get better than they were last season (31st in the NHL) and they can't just do that sitting idle this summer with so much cap space, a lot of good potential targets that would help out there in free agency, and the cornerstone piece Connor Bedard to build a team around.
There have been rumors and reports linking top-end players like Jake Guentzel to the Blackhawks, but even though he has proven to have more experience and production at this stage, it's more likely the Blackhawks get more out of Necas and here's why.
Guentzel will be 30 years old and is looking for a long-term deal. He is either going to sign a seven or eight-year deal somewhere and that takes him past his prime and the Blackhawks would still have him under contract at a high AAV on his decline. While Chicago hopes to compete within a short few seasons or even sooner, the team is still expected to be a top team for a long time. That is harder to do when a player isn't performing up to his contract.
Necas on the other hand would be 33 when his contract ends if the Blackhawks acquire and ink him to an eight-year deal. That is the sweet spot and Bedard or the second line would have a talented and dynamic player for the entirety of his prime.
2022-23 was a career year for Necas in his fourth season in the NHL. He scored 28 goals and recorded 71 points in 82 games. The offensive production dropped back a bit this season with only 24 goals and 53 points, but his power-play time was also cut by 90 minutes. This is because of the emergence of Seth Jarvis and the acquisition of Jake Guentzel. That is just how far you have to look into that as he would get ample amounts of time on the top unit in Chicago and the production would rise again.
As the years pass, Necas has also gotten better in the postseason and helped his team out more. In 11 games this year, he scored four goals and had nine points. There is room to grow in the top-6 for Necas in Chicago, that's for sure. He would have a larger role and could really help change things for the franchise in the short-term.
For what it would cost, it seems like a fair bit. I believe this is still worth it as there are more than enough solid defensive prospects in the Blackhawks' system and more than enough high draft picks. This could be a good way to use both to advance the team as it stands right now.
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