NHL Reckless Speculation: Martin Necas Trade Destinations

We're down to the final few games of the NHL season. At the same time, the Edmonton Oilers are fighting for their lives against the Florida Panthers. Most of us, sickos, have already started speculating about potential roster changes during the 2024 NHL Entry draft on June 28th and free agency on July 1st.

One of the biggest stories of this upcoming off-season is the future of forward Martin Necas. The Czech skater is coming off a solid campaign in 2023-24, during which he scored 24 goals and compiled 53 total points. Necas also had substantial playoff numbers despite the Canes' disappointing result. Combine all this with a solid 71 points the season prior, and you've got the ingredients for a big payday.

In theory, Necas and the Canes are a good match. A highly skilled forward in his prime and a team that is a perennial Stanley Cup playoff club makes sense when it comes to a long-term deal. However, more than one source has reported that he does not want to commit to the Hurricanes organization past the following season. Currently, he is heading into this off-season as a restricted free agent.

At 25 years old, Martin Necas wants to cash in on his first big payday in the NHL. The Canes can sign the right-handed forward to a short-term deal. However, doing so could walk him into unrestricted free agency. If Carolina wants to maximize their return for him, they must trade him this off-season while they still have his exclusive signing rights.

What's the level of interest in Martin Necas?

Plenty of suitors in the trade market would love to add a player of Martin Necas' caliber. He is a prolific skater who excels at transitioning the puck from zone to zone. Additionally, his high-end skills allow him to play up and down the lineup. It might seem like a cop-out to list this many potential suitors for Martin Necas, but a player of his caliber is going to generate a ton of interest.

Honestly, I'm not entirely sure how front offices view Martin Necas, but there have been other trades for which we can use a template—for example, the Bowen Byram for Casey Mittelstadt swap last trade deadline. Gauging the perceived value of what Carolina is looking for is tough. It's not like I'm playing NHL 24, and the trade value meter is grading deals for me. Still, I'm not writing this to gain traction as some "insider"; I'm doing this for the love of the game, so I'm willing to go out on a limb and get dunked on for my prediction.

Trade Radar

Boston Bruins

The Bruins are another team looking to shuffle things up front to take the next step. Martin Necas would be a massive improvement over their other options last season. With names like Jake DeBrusk likely leaving for free agency, Boston must focus on adding scoring depth outside David Pastrnak.

Boston has few tradeable assets, but it should have plenty of cap space to swing a deal. When it's all said and done, I envision the Bruins focusing more energy this off-season on adding a center like Elias Lindholm. Still, Necas' skill would help Boston keep pace with the other best teams in the Atlantic division.

Winnipeg Jets

The Jets desperately need a shake-up among their forward group this off-season. They have a solid core of Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, and Gabe Vilardi, but they get outmatched when playing against the best of the NHL, like the Colorado Avalanche. Martin Necas could help them get over that hump.

They must move a skater like Nikolaj Ehlers to make this trade happen. Ehlers is highly underrated and underutilized. Once the Jets can free up some cap space, we should anticipate them getting aggressive about bolstering their lineup.

Montreal Canadiens

Speaking of the Atlantic division, the Montreal Canadiens are reported as a potential landing spot if Necas trades. This would make a lot of sense and fit in with their recent team-building strategy of adding forwards entering their prime, but they aren't the right fit for the club that drafted them like Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, and Nick Suzuki.

The Canadiens aren't like the other two listed above. Their front office, led by GM Kent Hughes, is looking to make the postseason for the first time under the new regime. Acquiring Necas would help them achieve that goal sooner rather than later. Out of all the interested parties involved, Montreal is the team that could quickly meet the Canes' needs regarding a return package. It seems like a perfect match, but I might be missing something.

Seattle Kraken

Seattle hasn't been reported that much as a team interested in Martin Necas, but there is a case for it happening. Kraken GM Ron Francis drafted Necas 12th overall in the 2017 entry draft when he was calling the shots for Carolina back then. They have the pieces that could make a deal happen and are also trying to improve their roster.

Francis hasn't made a big move since becoming the Kraken's GM at their inception. But it would make sense for him to make his first big trade for the same skater he liked enough to draft with his team's first pick in 2017. At 12th overall, I'd say Necas has developed into a player worthy of a pick that high. Seattle has the draft capital and the tradable NHL roster players to complete this deal.

Calgary Flames

The Flames are another team looking to improve next season. Similar to the Montreal Canadiens, Calgary also has newer management who like to put their stamp on their respective rosters. Trading for Necas makes some sense for a team going through a "retooling" phase like the Flames.

This team is committed to its core but could use another high-end skater like Martin Necas to help them keep pace with the other teams in the Pacific division. Personally, I don't think they have the assets to make this trade, but that hasn't stopped them from being one of the teams heavily interested in Necas.

Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks have made it very clear that they want to take the next step in their rebuild next season. This makes sense; when you have a player like Connor Bedard, you want to surround him with guys who can help in his development. However, it feels like Chicago has been campaigning a little too hard about its interest in bolstering its lineup.

Whether it's targeting top free agents or being rumored in almost every trade scenario for an available skater, Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson has put in the work when it comes to expressing their interest in building a competitive lineup. I'm not sure if getting Necas and inking him into a long-term deal fits Chicago's plans. But they could do much worse than getting Bedard a guy like Necas to play with.

Nashville Predators

After a disappointing start to the season, the Preds capped things off with a 20-7-3 record in their last 30 games. This ranked third in the NHL in point percentage and solidified their spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs. I can't imagine this team intends to take a step back, so building off that success by adding a skater like Martin Necas works for Nashville.

Nashville needs more skilled forwards to balance their lineup and would also be willing to experiment with Necas at center. They have the ammunition to swing a trade with the Canes, but does GM Barry Trotz feel Necas can play a significant part in their future?

Quantity over Quality?

Prediction: Seattle Kraken

Trade type: Quantity over quality

Seattle: Oliver Bjorkstrand, Rangers 2024 2nd round pick, Cale Fleury

Carolina Hurricanes: Martin Necas, Leafs 2026 6th round pick

This deal doesn't include a skater with the same upside as Martin Necas but contains components that the Canes covet. Bjorkstrand is 29 and has two seasons left on his deal, carrying a 5.4-million-dollar AAV. He's a high-percentage shooter who's scored at least 20 goals in 5 of his previous six seasons in the NHL. He's got cost certainty and doesn't require much commitment from the Canes long-term.

When it comes to 25-year-old blueliner Cale Fleury, he's come a long way after being an expansion draft pick. He recorded seven goals and 36 total points last season in Coachella Valley. In addition to this, he's helped lead that team to the Calder Cup finals with 10 points in 14 playoff games (so far). With the Canes likely losing more than one defenseman to free agency, Fleury can be a cheap bottom-four pairing replacement.

The Rangers 2024 2nd round pick that Seattle acquired during the Alexander Wennberg trade at the last deadline is hopefully enough futures to get this deal done. At first glance, this return might seem lackluster. But when you factor in the idea that Carolina has cup aspirations, getting skaters they can plug into their lineup immediately makes it worthwhile.

It will be an exciting off-season, with the news ramping up after the Stanley Cup finals. This is one of my favorite times of the year, so keep an eye out for more reckless trade speculation from me in the following weeks.