A large portion of that is related to goalie Linus Ullmark, in whom several teams are reportedly already interested. General manager Don Sweeney still has his sights set on players throughout the league, even if the Bruins own one of the best trade chips of the summer. The only issue is that everyone else has the same problem.
The Bruins are one of numerous teams who have made inquiries about Carolina Hurricanes forward Martin Necas, according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun.
Necas, a restricted free agent this summer, has stated that he is looking for a change of scenery and has no desire to return to Carolina. And the Hurricanes are looking to sign several of their other key talents to new contracts.“Well, [the Hurricanes] have heard from basically every team in the league, and what they’ve tried to do is narrow down the realistic possibilities for a potential trade,” LeBrun said on this past Wednesday’s edition of Insider Trading. “I’m told five to seven teams invite intriguing possibilities for the Hurricanes, but no one’s gone up to the price that they’d like to see. Winnipeg, Chicago, Boston, and Montreal are among the teams that have inquired.”
Necas had a strong showing in 2023-24, accounting for 53 points in 77 games in his second straight year with more than 20 goals. With those kinds of numbers and still just 25 years old as he enters his eighth NHL season, it appears Necas’ stock will only continue to rise, as is the price the Hurricanes are asking for him.
Still very much in a win-now mentality, Carolina will likely want an NHL-caliber player, along with a package of picks and prospects in exchange for Necas.
That doesn’t bode well for the Bruins, who currently own just three picks in this year’s NHL Draft—none of which are in the first three rounds—and have one of the lowest-rated farm systems in the league.
Other search parties for Necas have a lot more to offer in the interim. The Montreal Canadiens are ready to move on from their rebuild and can sell from their enormous stockpile of picks and prospects in order to do so, having picked at the top of the draft for the past few years.
You might say the same thing about the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks may expedite their rebuilding process, even though they’re not nearly as far along as some other teams, by sending the Hurricanes a combination of their 28 draft selections over the course of the next three years.
Thus, it is true that the Bruins are keen to acquire Martin Necas by trade. However, curiosity only goes so far.
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