Hurricanes re-sign Martin Necas

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The Carolina Hurricanes announced today that they have officially re-signed RFA forward Martin Necas. Martin Necas’ new 2-year deal with carry an average annual value (AAV) of $3 million dollars.

During the 2021-22 season Necas recorded 14 goals and 26 assists for 40 points in 78 games played. Necas only recorded 5 assists in 14 games over the course of the postseason. Martin’s proudction was seen as a major step back compared to his breakout 2020-21 season.

Due to injuries Necas, was asked to play a bigger role in the aforementioned 2021 season, and spending a lot of the season alongside Sebastian Aho, Necas recorded 41 points in 51 games. Throughout that season, fans saw Necas use his game-breaking speed to be a real difference maker on the ice.

The majority of complaints directed Necas are in regards to his consistency, or lack thereof. Since joining the team, Martin has shown he’s able to produce. During his three seasons on the main roster, Necas has ranked 4th in points, 4th in goals, and 3rd in even-strength points among all Hurricanes.

One of the things most notable about Necas is how his game elevates in bigger moments. Over the last three years, he’s tied for 1st in overtime goals with three and 2nd in game-winning goals with 12. It is safe to say that the potential is still very much there for Necas, and now is the time to prove he can perform at a high level consistently.

Seeing where Necas fits in the lineup will be interesting, as by the end of the ’22 season he was playing on the fourth line. Will he be able to crack the top-6 after the acquisition of Pacioretty? Will he be given a chance to play his natural position of center?

Regardless, this is a good deal for both the team and player. $3 million is not a bad cap hit at all for a young player who can put up 40-50 points over 82 games. This also gives Martin a chance to prove himself and potentially cash in at the end of these two years.

Overall, both sides should be more than happy with this deal. The next piece of business will be clearing some space as according to capfriendly.com, the Hurricanes are currently roughly a million dollars over the cap limit. It is likely that we see the contract of Jake Gardiner get bought out over the next couple days.