Martin Nečas reveals he nearly left Carolina

Since being drafted 12th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2017 NHL Draft and becoming a regular in 2019-20, forward Martin Nečas has been one of the key figures in the Hurricanes lineup.

However, his tenure with the Hurricanes nearly came to an end this offseason. The good news for Carolina is that they were able to come to an agreement, inking him to a new two-year contract extension worth $13 million.

As Nečas describes it, he was "50/50" on a return to the Hurricanes, but is excited to have a new deal in place and is ready to get started, even though there were "lots" of other teams interested in acquiring him. 

“I wasn’t sure,” Necas said. “Lots of talking between us and Carolina. It was 50/50. 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. I was drafted there, I played there for five seasons, 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.”

Nečas admitted that there have been clashes with head coach Rod Brind'Amour, leading to his ice time in 2023-24 being reduced by nearly a full minute compared to the previous season; he also saw his point total dip from 71 points to 53. 

“I think we will (make it work) 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.” 

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