The Los Angeles Kings have already made some key moves this offseason, trading Pierre-Luc Dubois to Washington for Darcy Kuemper. While Dubois' lone season in Los Angeles was disappointing, he was acquired as an impact forward. Now that he's gone, the Kings need to find the impact forward he was meant to bring.
Winger Martin Necas' days in Carolina appear to be coming to an end as the Hurricanes are open to offers for the 25-year-old. As a restricted free agent, Necas would also need a new contract.
So why Necas? First, what the LA Kings really lack is a right-handed forward in the lineup. Rookie Alex Laferrière was the only one to actually make a big impact with Trevor Lewis thriving on the fourth line. Akil Thomas has promise in 2024-25, but it would be too much of a stretch to ask an oft-injured young player to provide what LA needs at the top of the lineup.
The 6-foot-2 Necas, who began the bulk of his career in 2019-20, was a modest scorer (0.67 points per game in 362 career games) but could see a spike in scoring with 28 goals and 71 points in 2022-23. But it's much more than his scoring output. His impact is pretty clear, according to All Three-Zone Tracking, which covers the 2020-21 through 2023-24 seasons.
If you're not sure, blue is good, and Necas is very good indeed.
LA Kings fans may be happy to see Dubois go, but what they lost was their most efficient forward at holding the ball and getting into the offensive zone, as well as one of their best at creating scoring chances. Necas fills both of those holes with ease. (via All Three Zones).
The Czech native didn't have as good a season in '23-24 (24 goals, 53 points in 77 games) as he did in '22-23 (28 goals, 71 points in 82 games), but his underlying influence was still pretty strong.
Necas is one of the most creative players on one of the best possession teams in the league, and while Carolina has always been a team that values quantity over quality, Necas has been able to get to quality areas and create scoring chances for himself or his teammates.
What I like about Necas is that he is a big guy and often attacks from the middle of the ice. Here is a little glimpse of his abilities.
Martin Necas has been a real joy to watch this year.
Here are some highlights of his play this year with Carolina: He helped the team stay strong offensively. #LetsGoCanes pic.twitter.com/2mQJGUK2Kx
— Tony Ferrari (@theTonyFerrari) December 11, 2022
One area where Necas has yet to prove himself is on the power play, where he wasn't a mainstay alongside Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov and Brent Burns in Carolina but could play a bigger role in Los Angeles.
If he's this good, why would any smart team in the league want to trade him? Well, maybe they don't, but there are also reports that he wants out. Athletic Per a report from Pierre LeBrun, Necas' name has been included in trade talks with Vancouver (Elias Pettersson), Calgary (Matthew Tkachuk) and Boston (Rinus Ullmark). Necas wouldn't come cheap.
Los Angeles doesn't have players at that level. But things are different for the Hurricanes this offseason. They have players who apparently don't want to be on the team and aren't under long-term contracts. The problem is, Carolina is a team to win right now. Future contracts don't help. For Los Angeles, a player like Trevor Moore or Jordan Spence would be the first to be involved in a trade. I'm adamant about not trading Spence, but a Necas deal would be an easy persuasion.
In addition to a trade, Necas would need a contract. If he signs with a team other than Carolina, The evolution of hockey I'm projecting a seven-year deal with an average annual value of $7.515 million. I have no problem paying this player that amount, and with the ability to save some money by releasing Dubois and the likelihood of at least one notable contract moving in the other direction, I think LA can make this work.
Finally, there's the annual topic of offer sheets.
Offer sheets are pretty rare, but something we've heard a bit about this week with Martin Necas is that there are some teams wondering if it's a reasonable avenue to pursue if his asking price in trade talks with Carolina is too high. Probably not a big deal, but something to keep in mind.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 20, 2024
according to Cap Friendly, Here is the breakdown of compensation according to the AAV signed in the offer:
| Annual average value (AAV) | compensation |
| $4,580,918 – $6,871,374 | First-round pick |
| 1st round, 3rd pick | |
| $6,871,375 – $9,161,834 | First-round pick |
| One second-round pick | |
| 1st round, 3rd pick |
If LA keeps all of those picks in 2025, it will meet the requirement.
Ultimately, the LA Kings will need an impact forward, and if Quinton Byfield returns to the center position, it will be a winger. Martin Necas checks a lot of boxes for a team desperate for a high-end forward.
Main Photo Credit: Josh Lavallee, NHLI, via Getty Images
