We're already 20 games into the NHL regular season, and no player has been more of a surprise than Martin Necas. carolina hurricanes. The 25-year-old center is in great form, ranking third in the league in scoring with 11 goals and 19 assists in 17 games, and has 21 points in his last 10 games.
Necas' breakout season isn't all that surprising on its own. He has regularly shown the potential to become a top-class forward. The amazing thing about all of this is that he's doing it in Carolina. He was available to anyone at the right price, especially after a summer when it was known around the league that the Canes were acquiring him. Instead, everyone decided to sit back and allow Necas to return to Carolina, but now they can't help but wonder what would have happened if only their team had answered the call.
Instead, 31 teams are now regretting their inaction, and one very happy team in Raleigh is thrilled that this all worked out.
Why did the Hurricanes want to trade Martin Necas?
There was never a problem with Necas, but more of a fit within the Hurricanes' rotation. Manager Rod Brind'Amour is focused on playing center, just as Brind'Amour was during his playing days. This means an offensive two-way center who is strong on the forecheck and a talented passer who can set up shots from the point.
From there, he became less interested in the traditional forward role, preferring a combination of attacking-focused wing and defensive-focused wing. This was the problem with Necas. In the past, he wasn't particularly strong defensively, so he was locked into an attacking wing role. He's also not the most gifted pure goalscorer of all time, with 28 goals in the 2022-23 season being his best. his career.
Necas would be a true top-line center for most teams in the NHL. But not Carolina, where players like Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal and Jesperi Kotkaniemi took notice of him because of their emphasis on defense. As a result, Necas wanted the opportunity to play somewhere he could play in his desired position, while Canes admitted there was an element of “it's not you, it's me” to their relationship, and he I wanted to find a place where I could thrive. .
Why didn't anyone deal with trade?
The Hurricanes accepted that it was time to trade Necas, but had no intention of acquiring a freebie for him. Carolina understood the value of their 2017 first-round pick and wanted either a high-level player who could contribute right away or a top-10 pick they could shape.
It felt as if a deal would be made with Columbus on draft night. Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell spent 10 years in Carolina and drafted Necas during his time with the team. Waddell knew his value and knew he had the potential to be the team's new top center.
Despite all the rumors regarding Necas, the most likely trade seemed to be Columbus and the No. 4 pick, with some mock drafters assuming a deal would go through and moving the Canes to the Canes. So much so that he started drafting him with the fourth pick. Get it done.
The Anaheim Ducks then blew up the draft by selecting Beckett Sennecke with the third pick, surprising everyone. Sennecke wasn't in anyone's top 10, let alone a top 3 pick — as a result, Columbus called off a potential trade with the Hurricanes, who ended up selecting Caden Lindstrom.
Necas would remain with the Hurricanes and ultimately sign a two-year contract extension for double his salary, but accepting it would mean he wouldn't get the role he really wanted.
What has changed this year?
Flexibility. One of the most notable elements of Keynes' current run is that both management and Necas have stepped back from their hard-line stances on their roles and instead accepted the need for compromise.
As a result, Brind'Amour's strategy and Necas himself become more flexible on the ice, allowing him to move up and down the line as the game progresses, giving Necas the freedom to play the game without relying on a fixed strategy. I gave it. This has obviously had a big impact on his game, and he's simply having more fun on the ice than he has in years past.
Necas has been rotated up and down from game to game, sometimes playing alongside Jordan Staal on the second line, and sometimes suffering mismatch nightmares on the third line. Regardless of where he plays, Necas is still getting ice time, staying happy and adding momentum to the Hurricanes' impressive 13-4 record to start the season.
One thing is for sure: the team completely screwed up by underplaying the Hurricanes during the draft and keeping one of the best players in the league.
