One of the biggest trade chips on the market right now is Carolina Hurricanes winger Martin Necas. On paper, sure, it looks like acquiring him could be enticing for Steve Staios and the Ottawa Senators, but the deeper you look, the less it makes sense.
For those unfamiliar, Necas is a speedy, scoring winger, which the Senators could definitely use. They have a hole on the second line that needs to be filled, which he could do well in. Looking at the available names, he is one of the top available, there is a potential good match for a trade between the Senators and Hurricanes, and many will argue that it could be a great fit. I disagree.
The Cost of Acquiring Necas
After chatting with fellow The Hockey Writers contributor, Zach Martin, a deal that would make sense would revolve around Necas and Jakob Chychrun. Zach did a great job covering the Carolina side of things, and a deal like that could make sense if Staios is going to pull the trigger on a deal for Necas.
Related: 2 Trade Destinations for Hurricanes’ Martin Necas
It is no secret that Chychrun is being shopped. Would the Senators be okay heading into the season with him on the roster? Absolutely, but with him heading into the final year of his contract, the fit not being as perfect as originally planned, and his post-season comments, it sure feels like he could be on the move ahead of the draft.
The Senators paid three draft picks for Chychrun. One was 12th overall, used to select Daniil But, while the other two picks are second-rounders in 2024 and 2026. Is Necas worth that in a trade? That is debatable, but if the Senators are trading Chychrun they need to be sure they are acquiring a player with the right fit and will be around long-term.
Why Necas Doesn’t Fit in Ottawa
There are a lot of things to look for when acquiring a big player in a trade. First of all, the contract. Necas is currently without a contract moving forward, so if the Senators were to acquire him, there would need to be a contract negotiated. As we have seen with the last two big trades the Senators have made, Alex DeBrincat only played one season before forcing his way out of town, and Chychrun, who has already been mentioned, has an uncertain future.
If the Senators were to sign Necas to a long-term deal, it would likely be north of $7 million per season. The current salary structure of the roster wouldn’t take too kindly to that as they are already pretty tight on money.
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Second is what the player has to offer. Necas put up a career-high of 71 points in 2022-23, but fell back down to 53 this past season, which is the second-highest total of his career. Watching the Hurricanes play, most people would agree that he is much closer to a 70-point player than a 50-point player. He has great skills and is often putting them on display. Part of the issue is the opportunity for him. He is getting consistent top-six minutes in Carolina, but between Seth Jarvis and Jake Guentzel, he hasn’t been the go-to right-winger.
That sounds a lot like one of the excuses made by DeBrincat on his way out, doesn’t it? Currently, the Senators have Claude Giroux and Drake Batherson at right wing, and it would be hard for Necas to be a considerable step higher than either one of them.
Speaking of Batherson, there isn’t a whole lot of differences between him and Necas. Both are skilled wingers drafted in 2017, Necas has 53 more career games played but is scoring 0.67 career points per game, while Batherson sits at 0.73. Both wingers are sub-par defensively, and at times, have wanted bigger roles on their team.
Batherson is great and fits in well in Ottawa, but there isn’t much room for two players like that in one lineup.
