If Carolina forward, a pending RFA, is available via trade, what would it cost St. Louis to get 25-year-old
If Carolina forward, a pending RFA, is available via trade, what would it cost St. Louis to get 25-year-old
The reports have been running regularly since they were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs that pending restricted free agent forward Martin Necas is available via trade from the Carolina Hurricanes.
The 25-year-old, who had 53 points (24 goals, 29 assists) in 77 regular-season games, a dip from the 71 points (28 goals, 43 assists) he had the previous season, completed a two-year, $6 million contract and will be a RFA on July 1 with arbitration rights.
Not really sure why the Hurricanes, who were eliminated by the New York Rangers in the second round of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, would want to part ways with a player who has yet to his his peak, but if he is made available via trade, the St. Louis Blues should be in the mix and is the kind of player that fits into the fabric of what they are looking for.
Necas, who primarily played right wing with the Hurricanes, would instantly in all likelihood get a bump in top six minutes with the Blues, be a power-play guy, and be versatile enough to play down the middle or on the wing, since he has done both. He's in that age range of mid-20s that fits who the Blues are incorporating into their lineup of getting younger while trying to stay competitive while retooling. Necas has been part of a winning organization and would certainly help in that regard.
But from a Blues perspective, what would it cost them to acquire Necas? It's believed Carolina is looking for an apples-for-apples kind of deal. Blues general manager Doug Armstrong has stated often that those deals happen in the off-season, whether at the draft or elsewhere, and he's not afraid to make it happen if it can improve the club.
Necas will get a boost in money undoubtedly, possibly doubling his expiring $3 million average annual value and term is at a minimum 5-6 years.
We're not going to speculate on a complete package, but in terms of what Carolina would want considering their ongoing goal of competing for a Stanley Cup in the present terms, the player from the Blues roster that would make most sense is forward Pavel Buchnevich, who has one year remaining on his contract at a $5.8 million AAV.
Buchnevich, who had 63 points (27 goals, 36 assists) in 80 games this season, has been the subject of trade rumors going back to this past season. But Armstrong has said that he would like to sign Buchnevich to a contract extension and even indicated they will approach him in the subject, perhaps sometime in the very near future. But that was before this scenario came to light.
It makes the most sense from a Blues-Hurricanes perspective in an apples-for-apples kind of deal. But Buchnevich, who has himself said he likes it in St. Louis and is open to extension talks to remain here, does have a 12-team no-trade list in a modified no-trade clause. It's not clear whether the Hurricanes are one of those 12 teams, but if not, it would have to be considered.
Carolina could have a hole in their top six with pending unrestricted free agent Seth Jarvis set to hit the open market.
The only other forwards that don't have NTC's on the Blues roster the Hurricanes would consider and aren't long in the tooth are Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou.
Thomas is all but untouchable in my view. The Blues are building this roster around him as a core piece. He and Kyrou each are available to be traded before full no-trade clauses kick in starting next season for each of the next five seasons.
If the Blues would want to get broader with this, offering up Kyrou in a deal would be something, and if they would, it's got to be Necas-plus returning on a broader trade scope. A 1-for-1 trade in this scenario would be a risk. But the teams could get creative here on a broader scope. Just saying.
With the reports saying the Hurricanes are looking for "star power," it's hard to imagine any of the top Blues young players/prospects (Jake Neighbours, Dalibor Dvorsky, Jimmy Snuggerud) would be in play unless on a grander scale trade.
The Hurricanes do have a pair of pending UFA's on their blue line in Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce and could, pending those players re-signing, have a glaring need on their blue line.
Would they want to pry one of the Blues' blue liners away as a starter in a potential deal? That will be difficult to do with each of Colton Parayko, who I don't believe the Blues are willing to move, Justin Faulk, Torey Krug and/or Nick Leddy having full NTC's for another year and right to veto a deal.
We all saw what happened last year when the Blues tried moving Krug to the Philadelphia Flyers and the veteran exercised his right to not go.
Nevertheless, the bidding for Necas will be high. A number of teams have already been mentioned as possible trade partners who would be more than willing to acquire the forward, including the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Boston Bruins, Seattle Kraken among them.
But if there is fire to this smoke, the Blues should definitely open the lines of communication and at least see what it would take to get it done.
