Hurricanes Center addresses talks of his impending contract extension 

By Abhilasha Aditi

Modified Sep 06, 2023 11:26 GMT

Follow Us

Share

0 Discuss

Carolina Hurricanes center Martin Necas is entering the final season of his current contract, but his primary focus heading into this season is not on his impending contract extension. The 24-year-old forward, who signed a two-year, $6 million deal in August 2022, remains composed about his contract situation and has not engaged in discussions with the team about his next deal.

In a discussion with Tom Gulitti of NHL.com, Necas expressed his mature outlook, saying,

"Maybe the first time before my contract year I was thinking about it. Now, I feel like I'm a little older, more experienced and I'm not really thinking about it... It's just about me playing well and being good for the team."

Last season, Necas had a standout performance, setting career-highs with 28 goals, 43 assists, and 71 points while playing in all 82 regular-season games. This remarkable improvement came after a somewhat disappointing 2021-22 season, during which he had 40 points in 78 games.

"It was a nice bounce-back season, I would say, after a year that was disappointing for everyone," Necas said. "I was pumped to prove myself a little different than the season before. I had a great summer (last offseason). I had a great summer again this year, so ready to take another step and be better."

Necas began the previous season strongly, accumulating 17 points in the first 11 games. He also earned the trust of coach Rod Brind'Amour, which resulted in an increased average ice time of 18:24 per game, up from 16:11 in 2021-22.

"I feel like confidence makes a big difference," Necas emphasized. "I came into camp, I was feeling great, and I started the season well."

Martin Necas' Pursuit of Consistency and Stanley Cup Glory with the Carolina Hurricanes

Maintaining consistency in his game has been a key focus for Necas as he matures as a player. Necas on winning the Hurricanes coach's trust.

"Especially for a young player to earn the trust from a coach, you've got to be consistent..." he explained. "So, that's one of the things that I kind of figured out..."

Looking ahead to the upcoming season, Necas is optimistic about the Hurricanes' potential.

The team has retained its core players and made key additions in the form of defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Michael Bunting, among others. Stanley Cup is a goal they have been chasing since 2006.

"Obviously, everybody wants to win, but, for us, we've been five years in a row in the playoffs" Necas affirmed. "It's just on us how we're going to do. We've got to start at camp, start game by game and just try to build our game to the playoffs [so] that we can take the Cup."

Indeed, Hurricanes have a great chance this time around, especially with their center in the right spirits.