Carolina Hurricanes re-sign Martin Necas to two-year contract with $6.5 million AAV
The Carolina Hurricanes have signed center Martin Necas to a two-year contract with a $6.5 million cap hit.
CAN'T SPELL CANES WITHOUT NECAS 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/t3xVEDu6xA
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) July 29, 2024Necas was a restricted free agent after the conclusion of his two-year contract with a $3 million cap hit. He was subject to trade rumours due to this contract negotiation, but it’s still unknown as to whether or not this extension was to help with a trade or will end the rumours and keep Necas on the Canes for now.
Necas’ contract does not come with any no-move or no-trade clauses. He will received a $3 million signing bonus in 2024-25 and a $1 million bonus in 2025-26, with the total salaries being $6 and $7 million in those respective seasons.
Necas receives a raise of $3.5 million per year, with his new contract having the highest AAV of his career. With this new contract, the Canes lock him up until he’s 27 years old at 7.39% of the 2024-25 salary cap. He shares a cap hit with Brandon Hagel, Brayden Schenn, Brendan Gallagher, Chris Kreider, Claude Giroux and Tom Wilson.
Necas took a step back last season with just 24 goals and 29 assists for 53 points in 77 games. This comes after a breakout season in 2022-23 where he set career-highs across the board with 28 goals, 43 assists, and 71 points in 82 games.
Necas did return to form in the playoffs, where he had 4 goals and 5 assists for 9 points in 11 games as the Canes were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs in six games by the New York Rangers.
Necas was the Canes 12th-overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, and after playing another season in Czechia, he made the transition to North American hockey, including making his NHL debut in that 2017-18 season. After spending the 2018-19 season primarily in the AHL, he established himself as a full-time NHLer in the 2019-20 season.
Necas is one of several notable players on the Canes to be re-signed, as the Canes have also signed Jaccob Slavin, Jordan Martinook, and Jack Drury to new contracts. Along with that, they’ve signed Shayne Gostisbehere, Sean Walker, William Carrier, Jack Roslovic and Tyson Jost in free agency. They currently have about $6.5 million in salary cap space remaining, with Seth Jarvis being their only key restricted free agent left to re-sign.