Bruins general manager Don Sweeney needs to upgrade his team’s offense this summer. Trading goalie Linus Ullmark and his $5 million cap hit could help him do it, especially with Jeremy Swayman in line for a sizable raise.
That could be a trade for futures (draft picks and/or prospects), which would give the Bruins some needed ammunition to turn around and make a trade for a forward. Or it could be a hockey trade, where Sweeney finds a team that needs a goalie and is willing to deal an impact NHL forward to get one.
To that end, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman brought up an interesting potential match on Friday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast: The Carolina Hurricanes and forward Martin Necas. (We also brought up Necas on the latest episode of The Skate Podcast, which you can listen to above at the 34:30 mark.)
Necas is a 25-year-old restricted free agent. He had 53 points (24g, 29a) this past season, and 71 (28g, 43a) the year before. The Hurricanes, who just changed general managers, would probably like to keep him, but they have a long list of free agents both up front and on defense, and won’t be able to keep everyone.
Necas increasingly looks like one of the players who could be on his way out. He was already in trade rumors at this season’s deadline, and his father recently told a Czech media outlet that Necas wants more opportunities on the first line and power play after being moved all over Carolina’s lineup this past season. There has also been speculation that Necas wants a shot at being a center – the position he was drafted as – after being used almost exclusively as a right wing in Carolina.
And, the Hurricanes could use a goalie. While Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov both had good stretches in the regular season, goaltending once again turned into a weakness in the playoffs, an all-too-familiar story for Carolina.
Friedman, who also mentions Elias Lindholm and Chandler Stephenson as potential Boston targets in free agency, sees a match between the Bruins and Hurricanes, and believes they may have already had some talks around the trade deadline.
“I do believe the Bruins and the Hurricanes talked about an Ullmark deal,” Friedman said. “Now, I don't know if it involved Necas. But I do think they talked about something. … Now, number one, it has to be recognized that Ullmark would have to be able to go there. I don't know where Carolina is or is not on his [no-trade] list. But I do believe it's something these two teams talked about.
“…I do think it's likely [Necas] gets moved. I just think that him and the Hurricanes don't see each other in the same value. But we'll see how it all works out. I mean, on paper, that makes sense to me, but just talking on paper. I think there's a lot of teams that are going to be looking at Necas and trying to find out what he wants. He's a good player, and Carolina’s gonna have some options here.”
It’s unclear if other pieces would be involved in such a trade, or what those pieces might be.
There’s a lot to like about Necas. He’s just entering his prime. He’s one of the fastest skaters in the NHL, and Bruins president Cam Neely did just identify speed as a team need this week. He has some size (6-foot-2). He’s effective on the forecheck and cycle, although not overly physical. He’s a terrific puck-carrier and creates a lot of chances for both himself and his teammates. He also just had his best postseason, with nine points (4g, 5a) in 11 games.
There are also some areas of concern to be aware of. He grades out as a poor defensive forward in just about every analytics model. If he were coming from a bad defensive team, that might be less concerning because you would expect him to improve in a better system in Boston. But he’s coming from one of the best defensive teams in the league, and still hasn’t shown any clear improvement across five full NHL seasons.
It is telling that Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour has never seen fit to give Necas a long look at center. Carolina has needed a No. 2 center behind Sebastian Aho for years. They have tried just about everything other than Necas – offer-sheeting and giving up a first-round pick for Jesperi Kotkaniemi, moving Jordan Staal up in the lineup, and trading for Evgeny Kuznetsov, just to name a few.
The Bruins would have to decide if they think Necas could have a future at center. If they do, giving him a shot next to fellow Czech David Pastrnak (the two are currently teammates in the World Championships back in their home country) would certainly be appealing.
Even if they don’t, Necas would look nice as the No. 2 right wing behind Pastrnak. But that raises the possibility of him being unhappy if his father is speaking for him when he says Necas wants to be on a first line.
The price of Necas’ next contract is a big factor here, too. Evolving-Hockey’s contract projections currently have Necas – signing with a new team – pegged for seven years, $7.5 million average annual value. That is pretty steep for a player who is clearly talented, but still has some things to prove.
Sweeney has to be willing to take a big swing or two, though. The likelihood of a perfect offensive solution falling into his lap via free agency or trade is low. There’s risk with any big trade or signing, especially when it’s an external addition.