Vancouver Canucks and Martin Necas: The Trade Saga
The Vancouver Canucks and Martin Necas have been frequently linked over the past few years.
The idea of Necas moving to Vancouver first emerged in 2021 as a potential part of a theoretical JT Miller trade. These speculations seemed to evolve into real negotiations by early 2024, but by then, it wasn’t Miller on the table but an unextended Elias Pettersson.
Pettersson extended with the Canucks shortly thereafter, and trade talks cooled down. However, a few months later, amid his own contract struggles, Necas—more specifically, his father—made a semi-public trade request.
At that time, the Canucks were seeking a significant addition to their top-six forward group, and Necas was identified as a prime target. Surprisingly, another unextended Canucks player was mentioned in potential trade discussions: Filip Hronek. Like Pettersson and Miller before him, Hronek quickly signed a new contract.
If nothing else, Martin Necas has proven effective in resolving lingering negotiations in Vancouver.
Most recently, the saga seems to have reached a temporary conclusion, with Necas setting aside his trade request to sign a two-year, $6.5 million AAV extension with the Hurricanes. This should, at least temporarily, end any discussions of Necas-to-Vancouver. Right? Let’s investigate further.
Financial Constraints
Financially speaking, the Canucks can no longer afford Necas. His new $6.5 million cap hit is too high, and the Canucks opted for a longer-term, lower-cost option in Jake DeBrusk. Following the addition of Daniel Sprong, the Canucks will enter training camp with minimal cap space—between $200,000 and $10,000. Even using Tucker Poolman’s potential $2.5 million in relief space, there’s not enough for Necas.
Any trade for Necas within the next year would require significant salary to be moved out.
The Need for Necas
The Canucks still have a need for Necas. Offense may be a challenge for Vancouver in 2024/25, despite some sharp signings. The forward group, though deeper, lost Elias Lindholm and only has four real top-six pieces: Miller, Pettersson, DeBrusk, and Brock Boeser. Necas would improve the lineup, but it’s a question of balancing needs.
The defense, meanwhile, seems to have weakened, swapping out Nikita Zadorov and Ian Cole for Derek Forbort and Vincent Desharnais. GM Patrik Allvin and his team may see adding a defender as a higher priority than another forward.
Potential Trade Scenarios
Any defense-for-Necas trade is unlikely. Trading a forward for Necas is more plausible but complicated.
The easiest scenario is a Boeser-for-Necas swap, which would give the Canucks a bit of cap space, an extra year of term, and a younger player. However, Boeser’s chemistry in Vancouver and his playoff heroics make this trade less appealing.
A Conor Garland-for-Necas trade could work financially and talent-wise, but it would make the team more top-heavy. Garland’s production from the bottom-six and his chemistry with Dakota Joshua are valuable.
Any other forward swap doesn’t generate enough cap space to make a difference.
The Hurricanes lack a long-term solution in net, relying on young Pyotr Kochetkov. They might consider a Thatcher Demko-for-Necas trade, but that would require Arturs Silovs to step up significantly, making it a risky move for Vancouver.
Future Possibilities
Brock Boeser is set to become a UFA at the end of the 2024/25 season. If he doesn’t re-sign or is traded, the Canucks might revisit the idea of acquiring Necas. By then, Necas would be a rental, as his latest extension leads to unrestricted free agency in 2026. The Canucks would need a worthy trade package and might feel compelled to extend him, adding complexity to the situation.
If he ever was a solution for the Canucks, Martin Necas is no longer.
It’s ironic that Necas’ name, like the logo on his jersey, translates to “bad weather” in his native Czech. For the Canucks, this particular storm has passed.
