The Detroit Red Wings added Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane to their roster prior to the 2023-24 NHL season. These two moves were supposed to help the team make the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in seven seasons. This did not happen, however, as the Washington Capitals won on the last day of the season, eliminating the Red Wings from playoff contention. I recently wrote that the NHL’s salary cap would rise to $88 million for the 2024-25 season, and this leaves more room for the Red Wings, who need to re-sign Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond, who will be unrestricted free agents on July first.
Martin Nečas is a young center for the Carolina Hurricanes that any team should be interested in acquiring who can become a restricted free agent this summer. The 25-year-old from Nove Mesto na Morave scored 24 goals and added 29 assists for 53 points in 77 games played for the Hurricanes during the 2023-24 season. Several teams are reportedly interested in acquiring Nečas from the Hurricanes. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff recently reported that the Red Wings were closely monitoring the Nečas situation.
Nečas is a caliber of player that the Red Wings have not been able to get through the NHL draft. Drafted 12th overall by the Hurricanes in the 2017 NHL entry draft, Nečas could have conceivably been a Red Wing. Instead, the Red Wings opted to draft center Michael Rasmussen with the ninth overall pick. Rasmussen scored a career-high 15 goals in 80 games in the 2021-22 NHL season. Nečas, on the other hand, came just one goal short this season of scoring 25 goals in two straight seasons.
The Red Wings are far from the only team interested in the services of Nečas. The Utah Hockey Club is a particularly intriguing suitor as they have only signed two players to their 2024-25 roster. This leaves the team plenty of room under the salary cap to sign Nečas. General manager of the Red Wings, Steve Yzerman, will have to negotiate against the general managers of other teams such as Bill Armstrong of the Utah Hockey Club.
Whether or not the Red Wings are able to acquire Nečas is up to the player and the Hurricanes. Nečas’ father recently told Czech media Denik Sport that his son wants a trade. The Hurricanes, on the other hand, are in no hurry to trade their star center at least from recent comments made by their general manager Eric Tulsky. The Hurricanes have reportedly told other teams that they would keep Nečas if they do not get their asking price.
The Red Wings would have to give up a player such as Jonatan Berggren as well as other assets to acquire Nečas. Drafted 33rd overall in the 2018 NHL entry draft, Berggren is a young player in the Red Wings’ organization who played in only 12 games for the Red Wings during the 2023-24 NHL season. Detroit would have to add a prospect from their deep prospect pool and a 2024 draft pick to the trade to make the trade work. The Red Wings have the 15th pick in the first round of the upcoming 2024 NHL entry draft.
