Necas focused on taking next step with Hurricanes, not contract status

STOCKHOLM -- Martin Necas' focus heading into this season is on building on how he played for the Carolina Hurricanes last season, and not his contract.

Heading into the final season of a two-year, $6 million contract he signed Aug. 9, 2022, with the possibility of becoming a restricted free agent next summer, Necas said he has had no discussions with the Hurricanes about his next deal, yet. But the 24-year-old forward isn't worrying about that.

"Maybe the first time before my contract year I was thinking about it," Necas said at the NHL European Player Media Tour last month. "Now, I feel like I'm a little older, more experienced and I'm not really thinking about it. Whatever is going to come, is going to come.

"It's just about me playing well and being good for the team."

Necas, the No. 12 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft by Carolina, did that last season. He set NHL career-highs with 28 goals, 43 assists and a team-leading 71 points while playing in all 82 regular-season games. That was a significant jump following an unsatisfying 2021-22 season when, in the final year of his entry-level contract, he had 40 points (14 goals, 26 assists) 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 started last season strong with 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) in the first 11 games, allowing him to put 2021-22 behind him quickly. He went on to finish second on the Hurricanes in game-winning goals with five (behind Sebastian Aho's nine) and tied David Pastrnak for the Boston Bruins for the NHL lead with four overtime goals.

Earning the trust of coach Rod Brind'Amour, Necas averaged an NHL career-high 18:25 in ice time, which was up more than two minutes from his average of 16:11 in 2021-22.

"I feel like confidence makes a big difference," Necas said. "I came into camp, I was feeling great, and I started the season well. Got on the first power play, I was playing 6-on-5, overtimes. I was just feeling confident and, mentally, I felt like I got much better and just played more at the same level, not having as many ups and downs as I had before."

Learning how to avoid the dips in his play has been part of the maturing process for Necas.

"Especially for a young player to earn the trust from a coach, you've got to be consistent and, if you're not, then if you have some important moments, you aren't going to play," he said. "So, that's one of the things that I kind of figured out and tried to work on with my mental coach all last year and also this year to improve that."

Necas recognizes there is still room for growth in his play, particularly during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He had seven points (four goals, three assists) in 15 postseason games last season, but only one point (an assist) in his final five games, and the Hurricanes fell short of their Stanley Cup goal by losing to the Florida Panthers in four games in the Eastern Conference Final.

"That's another thing is I want to take the next step in the playoffs and be more of a leader there," Necas said.

Necas is excited about the Hurricanes' potential for this season after they kept their core intact and added defenseman Dmitry Orlov (two years, $15.5 million) and forward Michael Bunting (three years, $13.5 million), among others, as unrestricted free agents.

A lot can happen during a long season, but Necas believes Carolina winning the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2006 feels like a realistic goal.

"Obviously, everybody wants to win, but, for us, we've been five years in a row in the playoffs, we're going to have a good team," Necas said. "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."