5 Offseason Trade Landing Spots for Martin Nečas amid NHL Rumors

5 Offseason Trade Landing Spots for Martin Nečas amid NHL Rumors 0 of 5

Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images

Change is in the wind for the Carolina Hurricanes after falling short in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the fifth straight year.

It started when Don Waddell resigned as president and general manager on May 24. He ensured the coaching staff would remain intact after signing them to new contracts before his departure, but some significant shakeups could be in store for the roster.

Eight of their active roster players are due to become unrestricted free agents, while six others are slated to become restricted free agents. The Hurricanes have $27.4 million of projected salary-cap space for next season, meaning they can’t afford to bring back everyone.

Martin Nečas appears to be among the most likely to be moving along. He is completing a two-year contract with an average annual value of $3 million and has arbitration rights. He could seek a long-term contract at double his current cap hit.

The 25-year-old is a versatile forward who can play center or wing. He’s reached or exceeded 40 points in each of the last four seasons, including a career-high 73 points in 2022-23. However, the Hurricanes could prioritize re-signing UFA winger Jake Guentzel and RFA winger Seth Jarvis.

During the May 17 episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said he didn’t think the Hurricanes would do what Nečas wants to do. Five days later, the Raleigh News & Observer’s Chip Alexander cited Nečas’ father telling a Czech reporter that his son prefers to play where he’ll be a top-line player.

Nečas will draw plenty of interest from clubs seeking scoring depth if the Hurricanes shop his rights in this summer trade market. Here are our five potential landing spots.

Do you agree or disagree with our list? Let us know in the app comments below.

Boston Bruins1 of 5

Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images

During his season-ending press conference, Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney indicated he intended to search aggressively for more help for his forward lines.

The 57-year-old suggested he might seek players who can provide secondary scoring. He could also look at improving his depth at center moving forward.

Nečas could help Sweeney address either need. He could center one of the Bruins’ top-two forward lines, skating alongside captain Brad Marchand or centering fellow Czechs David Pastrňák and Pavel Zacha.

The Bruins may require a top-six right wing if they cannot re-sign Jake DeBrusk before his eligibility for unrestricted free-agent status on July 1. Necas could be a solid replacement.

Sweeney has a projected salary-cap space of $20.9 million for 2024-25 with 17 active roster players under contract. He could get another $5 million if he trades goaltender Linus Ullmark. That’s enough to sign Necas to a new contract with an annual cap hit of around $6 million annually.

Montréal Canadiens2 of 5

David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

While that meant they would receive the fifth-overall pick for the second straight season, the Canadiens must address their anemic offense if they hope to contend for the playoffs next season.

General manager Kent Hughes acquired center Kirby Dach in the 2022 draft and forward Alex Newhook before last year’s event. He could take a bigger swing for a scoring forward this year by targeting Nečas.

The Canadiens could offer the 26th overall pick in this year’s draft plus one of their promising young defensemen as part of the return for the Czech.

They also have projected cap space of over $19.1 million for next season with Carey Price on long-term injury reserve, giving them plenty of room to sign Nečas to a lucrative new deal.

Nečas, 25, is young enough to fit within the Canadiens’ long-term roster plans. He’d get the opportunity he craves for top-six forward minutes centering their second line or skating on the right wing alongside first-line center Nick Suzuki.

New York Islanders3 of 5

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

The New York Islanders entered the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs as the second-lowest scoring team, averaging 2.99 goals per game in the regular season.

That popgun offense was their undoing in their first-round series against Nečas and the Hurricanes, and their 2.40 goals per game contributed to their elimination from the opening round in five games.

During his end-of-season press conference, Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello suggested changes could be coming to his roster. He declined to tip his hand, but his recent swap of draft picks with the Chicago Blackhawks could set the stage for a bigger move using some of his newly acquired draft capital.

Lamoriello could set his sights on Nečas given his ability to play center or right wing. He could center the second line if the Isles GM intends to peddle Brock Nelson to make room for younger talent. If Nelson is retained, Nečas could become his new right winger.

Cap space would be a problem for the Islanders. With a projected $6.3 million available and 17 active roster players under contract for 2024-25, Lamoriello would have to shed some salary to make room for a new contract for Nečas.

Still, it wouldn’t be difficult for the wily Isles GM to find a way to make the dollars fit.

Utah Franchise4 of 5

Chris Gardner/Getty Images

The Arizona Coyotes’ relocation to Utah under the new ownership of Ryan and Ashley Smith (owners of the NBA’s Utah Jazz) could enable general manager Bill Armstrong to pursue one or two experienced scorers through trades or free agency.

And he may have Nečas among the players in his sights this summer.

With projected cap space of $43.3 million next season and 11 active roster players under contract, Armstrong has plenty of room to sign Nečas to a lucrative long-term deal. He can also draw upon his plethora of second- and third-round draft picks and his deep prospect pool to entice the Hurricanes.

Nečas could immediately slot into Utah’s first-line center position between wingers Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz or the second-line center spot. He could also skate as a right wing on one of the top two lines.

Utah could also look for a top-six forward with more name recognition to generate excitement among its new fans. However, Nečas is the right age to fit in well with this rising young team and could blossom in this new NHL market.

Vancouver Canucks5 of 5

Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images

During the May 24 episode of 32 Thoughts, Friedman reported the Vancouver Canucks and Carolina Hurricanes discussed a potential deal earlier this year that would have sent Elias Pettersson to Carolina. He also indicated Nečas would’ve been part of that deal.

Pettersson is off the trade block after signing a long-term contract extension with the Canucks, but Friedman believes they remain interested in Nečas. He wondered if a possible swap involving Vancouver defenseman Filip Hronek might make sense for the Hurricanes as they have a lot of blueliners to sign.

Nečas wouldn’t be able to fill the top-two center positions with the Canucks as Pettersson and J.T. Miller hold those roles. He’s also not knocking Brock Boeser out of the right-wing position on the first line. However, he could supplant Conor Garland as the second-line right winger.

The Canucks have projected cap space of $23.8 million and could get an additional $2.5 million if defenseman Tucker Poolman remains on long-term injury reserve. Hronek is also a restricted free agent with arbitration rights but reportedly seeks $8 million per season.

Nečas might be a more affordable option if they flip Hronek for him.

Stats, standings, and draft information via NHL.com. Salary info and line combinations via Cap Friendly.