In a year where the organization won its division, overcame its Boston Bruins demons, and finished third in the NHL regular-season standings, a lot of people are talking about one of the players who have not had such a successful season. Czech center turned winger Martin Necas has had a down year and he’s not exactly trending in the right direction to fix it as of this moment in time.
With there being a lot of fans wanting to have Necas shipped out of town yesterday, it got me thinking about what is actually going to happen with the 2017 twelfth overall draft selection. Will management opt to keep the speedy skater around? Will they elect to ship him away for future assets, or try to use him as part of a package to land a big fish looking for a new home? There are a lot of options.
First of all, it is important to remember that Necas is a restricted free agent at the end of this year. He is coming off his entry-level contract. Carolina will be able to trade his rights away but they will not hold as much value as a player with a contract. Necas is ineligible to file for arbitration and is a potential revenge offer sheet target if the Montreal Canadiens choose to go that route.
If the Carolina Hurricanes are trying to compete for the Stanley Cup, they’re going to need to strengthen their offense. Necas could be used as a centerpiece in a deal for someone that could add a lot of goals to the top six. Whether that be as a winger or as a center, someone that can add a lot of scoring to this lineup is someone that would be much appreciated by the Hurricanes organization.
There is still the option that Necas can take that next step next year and rediscover his goal-scoring touch. If he can get back to being a 20-goal scorer and a 60-point forward, he’s a very nice player to have around. But he’s also going to hold nice value as a trade chip. What the Canes could get for their Czech winger is going to need to be considered when weighing up the options regarding this player.