Bruins And Rivals In Mix For Martin Necas

Perhaps they haven’t been at the very center, but the Boston Bruins have certainly been in the mix of the NHL trade rumor mill early on this offseason.

Much of that has to do with goalie Linus Ullmark, who multiple teams have been reported to be interested in already. But just because the Bruins hold one of the summer’s top trade chips doesn’t mean that general manager Don Sweeney doesn’t have his eyes set on others across the league. The only problem is that so does everyone else.

According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, the Bruins are among several teams to have inquired about forward Martin Necas of the Carolina Hurricanes.

A restricted free agent this summer, Necas has made it known that he has little desire to return to Carolina and is in seek of a change of scenery. Plus, with several of their other big names seeking new contracts, the Hurricanes are listening to any and all offers that teams have for Necas in order to preserve as much cap space as possible.

“Well, [the Hurricanes] have heard from basically every team in the league, and what they’ve tried to do is narrow down the realistic possibilities for a potential trade,” LeBrun said on this past Wednesday’s edition of Insider Trading. “I’m told five to seven teams invite intriguing possibilities for the Hurricanes, but no one’s gone up to the price that they’d like to see. Winnipeg, Chicago, Boston, and Montreal are among the teams that have inquired.”

Necas had a strong showing in 2023-24, accounting for 53 points in 77 games in his second straight year with more than 20 goals. With those kinds of numbers and still just 25 years old as he enters his eighth NHL season, it appears Necas’ stock will only continue to rise, as is the price the Hurricanes are asking for him.

Still very much in a win-now mentality, Carolina will likely want an NHL-caliber player, along with a package of picks and prospects in exchange for Necas.

That doesn’t bode well for the Bruins, who currently own just three picks in this year’s NHL Draft—none of which are in the first three rounds—and have one of the lowest-rated farm systems in the league.

Meanwhile, other teams in the hunt for Necas have much more to offer. After consistently picking at the top of the draft over the last several years, the Montreal Canadiens seem ready to take the next step in their rebuild and can sell from their massive stockpile of picks and prospects to make it happen.

The same could be said of the Chicago Blackhawks. Although they’re not nearly as deep into their rebuild as some other organizations, the Blackhawks could accelerate the process by sending an assortment of the 28 draft picks they have over the next three years to the Hurricanes.

So, yes, the Bruins are very much interested in trading for Martin Necas. But interest only gets you so far.

Without much to bargain with, the Bruins find themselves on the outside looking in.