Necas: I was 50-50 on re-signing with Hurricanes
Martin Necas says there was just as much of a chance of him leaving the Carolina Hurricanes as there was of him staying before he re-upped with them.
"(There was) lots of talking between us and Carolina. It was 50-50," the forward told Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. "I didn't have the best season, wasn't happy. But we turned the page, we figured out a way to stay for two more years ... I feel like Carolina is my home. ... At the end of the day, I'm happy that I'm back and can prove to people there that I'm better than I was last season. I'm excited, I'm pumped."
Necas, who was a restricted free agent, inked a two-year deal with the Hurricanes at an average annual value of $6.5 million on July 29. In late May, it was reported multiple teams inquired about his availability after his father criticized the club's usage of his son. The Hurricanes had reportedly included Necas in previous trade proposals with several teams.
He told Friedman the Winnipeg Jets and Columbus Blue Jackets expressed serious interest this time around but some of his teammates lobbied hard for him to stick around.
Necas' production declined to a degree last season, which he mostly played as a winger after breaking out primarily as a center in 2022-23. Necas produced 24 goals and 29 assists over 77 games in 2023-24 after notching 28 tallies and 43 helpers across all 82 contests in the prior campaign.
The 25-year-old's average ice time fell by more than a full minute last season, from a career-high mark of 18:25 to 17:21. Necas' relationship with Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour may have been a factor in that trend, but the player is confident they'll find a way to make it work.
"I think we will and we have to," Necas said. "It's important for us, I've got to give him something for him to give me (more ice time). I never had a problem with Rod off the ice, we've always been good to each other. I've got to be better. Be a player he can trust. I'm looking for a bigger role, I definitely want to play more, but obviously I've got to show it on the ice, and I already talked with Rod."
Necas has spent his entire seven-year career with the Hurricanes, who drafted him 12th overall in 2017. He can become a UFA at the end of his contract.