RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Carolina Hurricanes have re-signed forward Martin Necas to a two-year, $6 million contract, keeping the young forward with the franchise that picked him in the first round of the 2017 draft.
The team announced the signing, saying the deal would pay the 23-year-old $2.5 million next season and $3.5 million for the 2023-24 season.
Necas is regarded as a key piece for the team’s future with speed and skill. But he was inconsistent last season while finishing with 14 goals and 26 assists, then couldn’t find the net in Carolina’s 14 playoff games.
“I’ve got to help the team more, got to produce way more,” Necas said in June after the Hurricanes’ second straight second-round playoff loss. “That’s what everyone kind of expects from me. I didn’t do it this year. so like I said it was disappointing for me.”
Still, Carolina is betting on Necas’ long-term potential.
“We’ve got to find a way to punch through (in the playoffs),” coach Rod Brind’Amour said in June, “and I think Marty obviously has the potential to help us do that.”
Necas, who was a restricted free agent, has 45 goals in 203 NHL games with Carolina.
