Martin Necas has been the NHL’s biggest surprise, and every team should be kicking themselves for blowing it

We’re almost 20 games into the NHL regular season and nobody has been a bigger surprise than Martin Necas of the Carolina Hurricanes. The 25-year-old center is on a heater, with 11 goals and 19 assists in 17 games, ranking third in the league in points scored, and he’s got 21 points in his last 10 for good measure.

A Necas breakout season isn’t that surprising in isolation. He’s routinely shown flashes that he could become a top flight forward. The stunning part of all this is that he’s doing it in Carolina, especially following a summer where it was known throughout the league that the Canes were shopping him, and he was available to anyone for the right price. Instead everyone decided to sit on their hands, allow Necas to return to Carolina, and is now forced to wonder what could have been if only their team picked up the phone.

Instead there are now 31 teams regretting their inaction, and one very happy team in Raleigh thrilled this has all worked out.

Why did the Hurricanes want to trade Martin Necas?

There was never a problem with Necas, but rather his fit inside the Hurricanes’ rotation. Coach Rod Brind’Amour puts a premium on centers who play, well, like Brind’Amour did during his playing days. This means aggressive two-way centers who are strong on the forecheck, while being talented passers who can set up shots from the point.

From there he’s less concerned with traditional forward roles, but rather favors a wing combo of one offensive-focused wing, and one who is more defensive. This was problematic when it came to Necas. In the past he wasn’t especially strong defensively, which pigeon-holed him into an offensive wing role, and he hasn’t been the most gifted pure goal scorer in the past, with his 28 goals in 2022-23 being he highest of his career.

Necas would be a true top-line center on most teams in the NHL. Just not in Carolina where the premium on defense led to guy like Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi getting the nod over him. As a result Necas wanted an opportunity to play in a place where he could flourish at his preferred position, while the Canes acknowledged the “it’s not you, it’s me” element of their relationship — and wanted to find him a home where he could flourish.

Why didn’t anybody work a trade?

The Hurricanes accepted it was time to trade Necas, but weren’t going to get fleeced for him. Carolina knew the value of their 2017 1st round pick, and wanted either a high-level player who could contribute immediately, or a Top 10 pick they could mold.

It felt as if a deal was going to be made with Columbus on draft night. Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell spent a decade in Carolina, and drafted Necas during his time with the team. Waddell was aware of his value, and that he could be the team’s new top center.

Despite there being a lot of rumors around Necas, it was Columbus and the No. 4 pick that felt like the most likely trade, so much so that some mock drafters began penciling in a Canes pick at No. 4 under the assumption the deal would get done.

Then with the No. 3 pick the Anaheim Ducks blew up the draft by selecting Beckett Sennecke, to the surprise of everyone. Sennecke wasn’t in anyone’s Top 10, let alone the top three picks — and that resulted in Columbus calling off the potential trade with the Hurricanes so they could select Cayden Lindstrom.

Necas would stay with the Hurricanes and eventually sign a two-year extension at double his salary, but accepting he wouldn’t get the playing role he really wanted.

What changed this year?

Flexibility. One of the most remarkable elements to this current Canes run is how both management and Necas have taken a step back from their hard-line stance on their roles, and instead embraced the need to compromise.

As a result the Brind’Amour strategy and Necas himself have been more flexible when he’s on the ice, moving him up and down lines as a the game progresses and giving Necas the freedom to play his game independent of a fixed strategy. This is clearly having a mammoth impact on his play, where he’s simply having more fun on the ice than in past years.

From game-to-game Necas is being moved up and down the rotation, sometimes playing alongside Jordan Staal on the second line, sometimes being a mismatch nightmare on the third line. Regardless of where he’s playing Necas is still getting his ice time, keeping him happy and fueling the Hurricanes’ brilliant 13-4 run to start the season.

One thing is certain: Teams absolutely blew it by lowballing the Hurricanes during the draft and allowing them to retain one of the best players in the league.