![Why a Linus Ullmark-Martin Necas trade would be unlikely for Carolina Why a Linus Ullmark-Martin Necas trade would be unlikely for Carolina](https://i1.wp.com/cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2024/05/30121820/0531UllmarkNecas.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1)
The Boston Bruins want a top-two center. The Carolina Hurricanes would do well to secure a postseason upgrade at goaltending over Frederik Andersen (.878 save percentage vs. the New York Rangers in Round 2).
You might think, then, that swapping Linus Ullmark for Martin Necas would make both clubs happy.
It may not be that simple.
“I wouldn’t do it if I were Carolina,” texted a hockey operations executive, who was granted anonymity to discuss players not under contract with their employer, regarding a trade one by one.
As much as each player strengthens the other team, the market favors Necas in terms of value. He is a right-footed center back. He is 25 years old. The Hurricanes drafted him 12th overall in 2017, ahead of big-money players like Robert Thomas and Jason Robertson.
Teams like Necas’ advantage. He could be the second center for a contender.
Consider that, according to colleague Pierre LeBrun, the Hurricanes discussed Necas in separate deals for Matthew Tkachuk and Elias Pettersson. Tkachuk and Pettersson are superstars in the prime of their careers.
Meanwhile, Ullmark is 30 years old. He only has one season left on his contract worth $5 million annually. The 2012 sixth-rounder posted a .915 save percentage in 2023-24, well below his Vezina Trophy-winning .938 benchmark the previous season.
So for the Bruins, Ullmark would be just the first piece in a deal with Necas. The additional assets on Carolina’s wish list would determine whether Don Sweeney moves forward with the transaction (the GM acknowledged he will field and make calls to Ullmark) or look elsewhere in his pursuit of the offense.
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For some reason, Necas seems to be unhappy in Carolina. The same cannot be said for Ullmark. Bruin, who has been working for three years, wants to stay with his partner Jeremy Swayman and embark on a “revenge tour” in what would, in all likelihood, be his fourth and final season.
But even if Necas wants out, he doesn’t have much say in the matter. Necas will become a restricted free agent on July 1, still under Carolina’s control. The Hurricanes don’t necessarily have to move Necas, even if he has officiating influence.
However, eligibility to apply gives Necas some degree of bargaining power. His numbers (24 goals, 29 assists, 17:21 average ice time per game) would hold up well in an audience. Necas’ 53 points were the third-highest for the Hurricanes, along with Teuvo Teravainen’s 25-28-63 line. Teravainen, according to CapFriendly, is wrapping up a five-year, $27 million deal he signed in 2019. Teravainen’s $5.4 million average annual value would be a comparable starting point for Necas, whose two-year, $27 million contract 6 million dollars is due.
That way, the small-market Hurricanes may want to get ahead of a potential audience and move Necas for assets. But as much as Ullmark projects to have a stable presence in net, Carolina still has relative stability under contract for 2024-25. Andersen, 34, has one year left on his contract worth $3.4 million annually. The veteran was limited to 14 regular-season games due to deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms. Pyotr Kochetkov, 24, has a contract until 2027 for an AAV of $2 million. Perhaps former Quinnipiac standout Yaniv Perets, who is on his entry-level contract, can become an NHL goaltender.
There is also the issue of Ullmark’s partial non-trade protection. It is unknown if Carolina is on Ullmark’s list. Necas can be sold anywhere. The Bruins wouldn’t be the only team interested in an offensive-minded center.
All of this is to say that the circumstances for a Necas-Ullmark trade don’t line up, regardless of how good the fit is. Necas would emerge as a dynamite center between his Czech compatriots Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak. That is precisely the point. Offensive catalysts of Necas’ skill and pedigree have been marketed before, but at a high price.
The Colorado Avalanche had to give up Bowen Byram, the fourth pick in 2019, to acquire Casey Mittelstadt from the Buffalo Sabres. The San Jose Sharks got first and second round picks from the New Jersey Devils for Timo Meier. The Ottawa Senators traded first- and second-round picks in 2022 and a third-rounder in 2024 to the Chicago Blackhawks for Alex DeBrincat.
The Bruins have no first-, second- or third-round picks in 2024 that they can include in a trade. Mason Lohrei, Matt Poitras and Johnny Beecher have high trade value due to their age and potential, but all three are needed in Boston long-term.
So unless Sweeney can find an alternative solution, it seems unlikely that Necas will make it to Ullmark. Carolina will want more.
(Photos by Linus Ullmark and Martin Necas: Steph Chambers and Bruce Bennett//Keynote USA/Getty Images)
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