Welcome back to another edition of NHL Rumours from the crew here at Last Word on Hockey. We’re getting closer to awarding Lord Stanley’s Cup and with that has teams preparing for the offseason ahead. This edition of NHL Rumours focuses on the Montreal Canadiens who have been reportedly checking in on Carolina Hurricanes forward, Martin Necas.
All NHL rumours come from their original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours:
Rumour: Pierre Lebrun on Insider Trading discusses the Montreal Canadiens Inquiring on Martin Necas
On the latest edition of TSN’s Insider Trading, Pierre LeBrun mentions that 5-7 teams have inquired about the availability of Hurricanes forward Martin Necas. One of those teams was the Montreal Canadiens.
INSIDER TRADING – #TSNHockey Insiders discuss…
– Waiting game for Markstrom
– Marner speculation mostly off-base, premature
– Jets/Ehlers; CBJ/Laine; Canes/Necas
– Draisaitl’s hit deemed not worthy of SCF suspension
– Jon Cooper/Team CanadaWATCH: https://t.co/dXxdqH76iP pic.twitter.com/yNhMDOxRtt
— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) June 12, 2024
While talks of acquiring the forward are in the preliminary stages for all the teams involved, LeBrun mentions that neither team has budged on their offers to get a deal done to the Hurricanes’ liking. However, with a plethora of draft picks (24 in the next two drafts) and prospects at their disposal, the Canadiens would be able to put together a package that would fit the Hurricanes’ needs moving forward.
Acquiring Necas Would Push the Canadiens to the Next Step of Rebuild
If the Canadiens are successful in their pursuit of Necas, he would propel them to the next step of their rebuild. What the Canadiens need right now is a solid top-six forward who can score and Necas can certainly do that. Over the last two seasons, Necas has recorded 52 goals and 124 points in 159 games. This, to go alongside eight goals and 15 points in 26 playoff games. There’s no shortage of offence when speaking of Martin Necas.
Outside of the Canadiens top line of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky, no other forward on the roster reached the 40-point plateau. This is concerning. Newcomer Alex Newhook finished 4th in scoring amongst forwards on the team, scoring 15 goals and 34 points in 55 games. While these were new career highs for Newhook, these are not the numbers you need from one of your top scorers if you’re looking to be competitive in this league. While the return of Kirby Dach will surely put some more firepower in the Canadiens offence, acquiring Necas to play alongside him would give the Canadiens two solid scoring lines up front and make the team much harder to play against next season.
The Cost to Acquire Necas
The cost to acquire a player of Necas’ standards will surely be high. However, this is where the Canadiens can put themselves ahead of the pack in order to acquire his services. As mentioned, the Canadiens have 24 picks across the next two drafts. This includes four first-rounders and three second-rounders. They also have a ton of young defencemen at their disposal and obviously, they all can’t be on the roster. They also have recent Memorial Cup MVP Owen Beck in the fold who will certainly fight for a roster spot this year but could also be used as a bargaining chip if the Canadiens should see fit.
While there’s no telling what the Canadiens would have to part with in order to acquire Necas, they certainly have the pieces to get the deal done and we should expect Kent Hughes to be aggressive in his pursuit for offence this offseason.
Main Photo: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
