RALEIGH — The Carolina Hurricanes agreed to a two-year contract worth $13 million with restricted free agent Martin Necas on Monday, re-signing the forward who had been the subject of offseason trade rumors.
“Martin is an immensely skilled player who provides a scoring threat whenever the puck is on his stick,” Hurricanes CM Eric Tulsky said in a press release. “He will play a key role in the continued success of our franchise, and we’re excited to have a multi-year contract done.”
Necas and the Hurricanes seemed to be at a crossroads following the season, with the 25-year-old’s father telling a Czech website that the 2017 12th overall pick wanted to be traded. Necas was shopped during the NHL Draft in Las Vegas, but a potential deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets — and former Hurricanes GM Don Waddell — never materialized.
Necas — who led the Hurricanes in scoring in 2022-23 with 71 points but regressed to 53 points last season — had leverage for the first time as a restricted free agent and filed for arbitration earlier in the month with a hearing scheduled for Aug. 4.
Instead, the sides came to an agreement that will walk Necas to unrestricted free agency when the deal is up at the end of the 2025-26 season. Necas’ salary cap hit will be $6.5 million in both seasons.
Necas has 97 goals and 146 assists for 243 points in 362 regular season games with the Hurricanes over the past seven seasons. He won the Calder Cup with Carolina’s AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, in 2019, and he has 30 points in 59 career NHL playoff games.
