It looks like the Montreal Canadiens have a new trade target.
Appearing as a guest on RDS’ Hockey 360 on Wednesday, NHL insider Pierre Lebrun revealed that the Habs have taken an interest in Carolina Hurricanes forward Martin Necas, who is reportedly on the trade block.
“There are multiple teams who have called the Hurricanes to see what’s going on,” Lebrun said in French. “According to my info, the Canadiens are one of those teams.”
Plusieurs équipes dont les Canadiens ont appelé les Hurricanes concernant Martin Necas 💥 pic.twitter.com/g2ZU3L5tsb
— Hockey 360 (@hockey360) May 28, 2024
Fellow TSN analyst Darren Dreger also mentioned the Canadiens in relation to Necas on the latest episode of The Ray & Dregs Podcast.
“There will be no shortage of suitors for Necas,” Dreger said Thursday. “The Montreal Canadiens, I believe, are right up there with a level of interest.”
With all that said, the dialogue between the Canadiens and Hurricanes, who are also rumoured to be shopping Jesperi Kotkaniemi, does not seem to have escalated yet, meaning Montreal GM Kent Hughes may just be doing his due diligence by inquiring about the 6-foot-1 centre.
“There are many teams calling just to inform themselves,” LeBrun added. “It doesn’t mean it’ll go any further than that.”
Necas, 25, scored 53 points in 77 games this season, a slight improvement from the 71 points he netted in 2022-23.
The Czechia native also impressed in the postseason for Carolina, logging nine points through 11 playoff games.
Now an RFA, Necas is coming off a two-year contract with an average annual value of $3 million.