Martin Necas trade: 3 NHL teams who could regret not signing Hurricanes’ 13M star

The Carolina Hurricanes have ended the Martin Necas saga by signing the rising star to a two-year, $13 million deal. The contract carries a $6.5 AAV for the next few seasons, per NHL.com.

The deal is the most logical outcome of the saga. While the Martin Necas camp wanted a max deal somewhere in the neighborhood of $7 to $8 million per season, the Hurricanes wanted to get Necas down closer to $5 million per season.

The deal also foregoes the need for arbitration later this summer. With this deal, the trade speculation surrounding Necas can be put to bed. Meanwhile, three NHL teams stand out as clubs that could regret not pulling the trigger on a deal for Necas when they had the chance.

3 NHL teams who could regret not acquiring Martin Necas

#3: Utah Hockey Club

Utah made a splash during the club’s first offseason by signing Sean Durzi to a substantial extension and trading for Mikhail Sergachev. However, it had the prospects, draft capital and cap space to add Martin Necas.

Yet, the Utah Hockey Club passed on the opportunity. While Utah has promising forwards in Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley and Lawson Crouse, the addition of Necas would have solidified its top-six.

But now that Necas is off the market, Utah could regret passing on Necas, especially if any of the players mentioned above struggle this upcoming season.

#2: Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks made several veteran additions to the rebuilding club. The hope is to surround young star Connor Bedard with players who can support him as he matures into a true number-one center.

But there’s one thing that Bedard lacks: a dynamic young winger to play with him. Daily Faceoff projects new acquisitions Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen on Bedard’s wings. Bertuzzi was a middle-six winger for the Toronto Maple Leafs last season. The same went for Teravainen in Carolina.

Adding Necas to Bedard’s wing would have given the club a dynamic top line to go with the veteran presence the club has built. Unfortunately, Chicago fans won’t know what Bedard could do if he had a player of Necas’ caliber playing alongside him.

#1: Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets had reportedly made a deal with the Hurricanes for Necas in exchange for the fourth-overall pick in this year’s draft. However, the deal fell through. The Blue Jackets selected Cayden Lindstrom, and that was that. However, given their current situation, the Blue Jackets could have used a player like Necas to complement their young stars like Adam Fantilii.

To make matters worse, the Patrik Laine trade request had tied Columbus’ hands, opening up a roster spot that could have gone to Necas. Unlike Chicago or Utah, Columbus did not make significant additions to its roster. Thus, passing on Necas could look even worse in hindsight.