Report: Necas turned down deals with Buffalo and Winnipeg before re-signing with Hurricanes

The 25-year-old forward has been the center of trade rumors for weeks after it was reported that he and the team could not agree on a new deal. Well… forget all that… for now, at least.

This deal comes with significant risk for both parties, but especially for the Hurricanes. Necas will still be an unrestricted free agent (UFA) in the 2026 offseason and will be free to sign with any team he chooses. While this new deal may put the trade rumors to rest for next season, the 2025-26 season is likely to be a media frenzy with everyone once again speculating about the talented Czech forward’s future. In the meantime, the Hurricanes will have to decide next year what to do with Necas long-term.

What this contract tells me is that the Hurricanes could not find any worthwhile trade offers for Necas on the open market. They also did not feel comfortable committing Necas to a long-term contract (8 years). So… while a short-term, “bridge” style deal may not be the optimal route, it does give the team some flexibility to sort out their long-term decisions… albeit at the great risk of losing Necas for nothing in two seasons. A bit of a fall between two stools, as they say…

Read the official press release about today’s signing below:

RALEIGH, NC – Eric Tulsky, General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, announced today that the team has agreed to terms with forward Martin Necas on a two-year, $13 million contract extension. Necas will receive an average annual value (AAV) of $6.5 million through 2025-26.

“Martin is a tremendously skilled player who is a scoring threat when the puck is on his stick,” said Tulsky. “He will play a key role in the continued success of our franchise, and we are pleased to have secured a multi-year contract.”

Necas, 25, had 53 points (24g, 29a) in 77 NHL games with Carolina in 2023-24, finishing fourth on the team in goals and power-play goals (8), tied for third in points and third in even-strength goals (16). He also added nine points (4g, 5a) in 11 games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with all four goals coming at even-strength. The 6’3″, 195-pound forward set career highs in goals (28), assists (43), points (71), power-play goals (9) and power-play points (26) during his first 82-game campaign in 2022-23, leading all Hurricanes skaters in scoring. He also scored a career-high four overtime goals that season, and his nine such goals since 2020-21 are tied for the league-leading total over that span. Necas has recorded 243 points (97g, 146a) in 362 games over parts of seven NHL seasons, and he has collected 30 points (11g, 19a) in 59 career postseason games. He recorded 32 points (16g, 16a) in 65 Czech Extraliga games with Kometa Brno from 2016-18, earning 52 (16g, 36a) in 64 AHL games with Charlotte in 2018–19, winning two Extraliga titles (2017–18) and the 2019 Calder Cup in his first three professional seasons. The native of Nove Mesto na Morave, Czech Republic, recorded seven points (1g, 6a) in five games at the 2024 IIHF World Championship in Prague, helping his home country to a gold medal. Necas also represented the Czech Republic at the 2020 IIHF World Championship and three IIHF World Junior Championships (2017–19), sharing the tournament lead in scoring in 2019, and led the Czech Republic to a gold medal at the Hlinka Memorial Tournament in 2016. Necas was selected in the first round, 12th overall, of the 2017 NHL Draft by Carolina.