Aarif Deen
Before the Colorado Avalanche acquired Martin Necas from the Carolina Hurricanes in the blockbuster Mikko Rantanen deal, there were reports that the Vancouver Canucks were eyeing Necas as the main piece of a package for disgruntled center Elias Pettersson.
The Vancouver offer was part of the reason why Avs general manager Chris MacFarland moved quickly to make the trade. He knew if Rantanen was going to get dealt, he didn’t want to miss out on a talent like Necas. He had to beat the Canucks to the punch.
But it appears that this wasn’t the only time Necas was almost dealt to the Western Conference. In fact, the team he could’ve been traded to was, at the time, one of the best teams in the NHL.
On the heels of the Brady Tkachuk trade to the Florida Panthers, Sportsnet’s NHL insider Elliotte Friedman recounted a story from four years ago. Before his brother, Matthew Tkachuk, was dealt from Calgary to the Panthers in July 2022, the Hurricanes made their own offer for the older Tkachuk, and it involved Necas.
“When Matthew was traded to Florida, in the end, it was Florida and it was Carolina,” Friedman said on Monday’s 32 Thoughts podcast. “Carolina’s package was Necas, [Alexander] Nikishin, I think the Flames had to take Jake Gardiner’s money, and there were one or two firsts as part of it.”
The Flames eventually took the Florida offer, which included a first-round pick, a prospect, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Mackenzie Weegar. The deal looked like a win-win at first, but Huberdeau’s production nosedived upon arriving in Calgary, while Tkachuk and the Panthers played in three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals and won twice.
Necas was just 23 years old that summer and had posted 36, 41, and 40 points, respectively, in his first three full NHL seasons.
It’s interesting to look back and wonder what could’ve been had the Flames accepted the Hurricanes’ offer. That alone could’ve altered the Avalanche’s future in many ways.
For starters, would Carolina have won the Stanley Cup sooner than 2026? Without Necas and with Tkachuk in the fold, would they have ever made a deal for Rantanen in 2025? If not, would anyone else offer something worthwhile for Colorado, or would MacFarland have opted to sign Rantanen to an extension instead?
Also, later that summer, Nazem Kadri signed with the Flames after winning the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche. He delayed his decision for five weeks after the opening of unrestricted free agency because he only wanted to play for a contender and the Avs were limited on cap space. The Flames, who were the No. 1 seed in the Pacific Division, lost Johnny Gaudreau to Columbus that summer, but the additions of Huberdeau and Weegar helped Kadri choose Calgary. Weegar was a rising top-pair defenseman, and Huberdeau had come off a 115-point season and broke the record for assists by a left winger.
If the Flames had instead gotten a young player like Necas, who was still more untapped potential than anything, would Kadri have signed in Calgary? If not, would he have taken the lower Avs offer that was on the table or chosen a different destination? Were any other contenders able to afford Kadri at the time?
It’s interesting to look back and wonder what could have been. The Hurricanes almost got Matthew Tkachuk, and they were one of the teams Brady would’ve accepted a trade to, albeit joining his brother was always his top choice. Both are now in Florida, but Carolina is celebrating a Stanley Cup championship.
These two teams might remain the leaders of the East for the next handful of years.