Flames should be wary of Necas – The Hockey Writers – Calgary Flames acquisition

The conference finals are fast approaching, and the NHL is one step closer to selecting this year’s champion. While most Canadian hockey fans have been tuning in to the “Battle of Canada” between the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers, fans of the other seven Canadian teams can do nothing but wait for next season. The Calgary Flames have been idle since early April after being eliminated from postseason play for the second straight season. The team is in a transition period and has traded Tyler Toffoli, Nikita Zadorov, Elias Lindholm, Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin for the 2023-2024 season. They now have nine picks in the upcoming 2024 NHL Entry Draft, which will be the first offseason test.

Related: Should the Calgary Flames draft Tig Iginla?

The Flames need to make smart choices with their ninth draft pick, as well as decisions to trade players like goaltender Jacob Markstrom and winger Andrew Mangiapane. Their hunt should be for a young, low-cost center with the highest potential, as they currently have none in the pipeline. This is much easier said than done. However, following recent reports of complications surrounding the Carolina Hurricanes’ salary cap for the 2024-2025 season, one such player may be released. Center Martin Necas is currently a restricted free agent (RFA) and the Hurricanes won’t have money for him after signing star Jake Guentzel and several other needed players. Many teams are salivating and here’s why the Flames should limit their use of his services.

Faulty product on ice

Hailing from Nové Mesto na Morave in the Czech Republic, Necas fits most of the above criteria: he’s 25, a right-handed center and offensively talented. In the 2022–2023 season, he scored a career-high 28 goals and 71 points in 82 games. It must be admitted that such players are not often available on the market. However, the terms “center” and “center” should be used very loosely when referring to Necasa. Since joining the NHL in 2017-18, he has played a total of 814 faceoffs, winning only 338 of them (42%). In our opinion, he doesn’t look much like a top-six player in the middle. Instead, the Hurricanes deployed Nec more often on the wing.

After a breakout campaign, Necas’ numbers also dipped last season, with 24 goals and 53 points in 77 games. So which version of him will the Flames get? The striker also does not show the defensive effectiveness that could be expected from a top-six center. The 25-year-old was third worst on the Hurricanes with a plus/minus rating of minus-9. Keep in mind that this was on a team that had a goal differential of plus 66. He also seems careless with the puck at times, as evidenced by his 65 hands average on the season. His 31 blocked shots in 2023-24 would rank 15th on the Flames. Another interesting statistic is that he started 67% of his shifts in the attacking zone. So he could basically put the puck in the net, but the Flames couldn’t trust him to keep it out of their own net.

Time and match are disabled

Yes, the Flames want young centers with high upside. Off the ice, Necas is still not the answer. His RFA status means they would have to pay him. Do they have money? Yes; they have about $20 million in available space this summer. He just signed a two-year bridge contract worth $3 million per year and would be at least twice that amount under a new long-term deal. His comparable player is Troy Terry of the Anaheim Ducks, who at the age of 25 signed a seven-year contract worth $49 million and scored over 60 points in the following seasons. This would mean the Flames would have Necas’ AAV of $7 million, Jonathan Huberdeau’s AAV of $10.5 million, Nazem Kadri’s AAV of $7 million and MacKenzie Weegar’s AAV of $6.25 million booked through 2028-29 (expiration Kadri). Few CEOs can build a competitor with so little financial wiggle room available.

Not to mention the Flames’ own star, 25-year-old Yegor Sharangovich, who needs a raise after next season, as do Matt Coronato, Connor Zary and a handful of others. Speaking of Coronato, adding Necas to the squad would have all but eliminated his role on the team if he hadn’t been traded for Necas’ rights in the first place. The Flames need to build during the draft, and the Hurricanes would need either Necas or a young prospect or some of the previously discussed draft picks. Another, probably most important aspect that would contradict all the above points? What if Necas doesn’t want to sign the contract? The Flames won’t be in contention for long, with a very high income tax, desolate winters and the sometimes unforgiving spotlight of the Canadian market.

Ultimately, whoever acquires Necas will be getting a quality NHL player who can blossom beyond a 70-point player. We’re not implying that he’s a terrible player or person or anything like that. He just doesn’t fit with the Flames. The franchise needs to focus on the upcoming draft and use the picks gained by sending a number of high-profile figures elsewhere. Young centers should definitely be targeted, but not for huge amounts of money and tenure. They should also be centers, proficient in center duties, who want to be Flames.