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Conflicting reports on Necas trade leave Sabres empty-handed

Theo

The Carolina Hurricanes announced they have signed Martin Necas to a two-year, $13 million contract, eliminating another forward from the top six trade rumors. Necas was a restricted free agent with the Hurricanes and was believed to want a better opportunity elsewhere. The Buffalo Sabres were an obvious potential destination, but conflicting reports and information debate the extent of the trade talks between the two clubs.

Seravalli on Necas Trade

Frank Seravalli of Daily confrontation said on his podcast, “The DFO Rundown,” that the Sabres were in the running for Necas and had a concrete trade around the draft. Negotiations on a new contract for the forward fell through, which scuppered the idea of ​​Necas in Buffalo next season.

“I think there were a couple of offers that were considered… that ultimately weren’t good enough for the Carolina Hurricanes. The week of the draft, I think the Buffalo Sabres had a deal with Carolina to trade Marty Necas. I think it was Buffalo, there was a team that they had agreed to a trade with, and Necas wouldn’t agree to a new contract with that new team. And that ultimately caused the trade to fall through.”

There is some uncertainty in Frank’s statement that the Sabres were actually the team involved, which raises questions about the validity of the information. It should also be noted that the fact that he wouldn’t agree to sign a new contract doesn’t necessarily mean he refused to play for Buffalo. It could simply mean that the two sides saw the value of his next contract differently, with Necas expected to land a Jeff Skinner-esque deal if he signed long-term.

Necas is coming off a 24-goal, 53-point season after scoring 28 goals and 71 points the previous season. He showed he can produce, but the inconsistency has to be alarming for the Czech forward to be signed for nearly $9 million per season in his 30s.

Related: Could Sabres be interested in Marner, Guentzel, Necas, Zegras

DeDominicis refutes Necas sale rumors

Chad DeDominicis of Buffalo expected was the first to confirm that Skinner’s buyout was going to happen this offseason thanks to his sources in and around the Buffalo Sabres. He took to X (formerly Twitter) to refute Seravalli’s report that the Sabres were the team that made a deal for Necas.

Chad was then asked to clarify whether the Sabres were involved with Necas.

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Hurricanes trade options

Chad added that Martin Necas wasn’t the Carolina Hurricanes player the Sabres were looking to acquire. The Hurricanes have another top-six restricted free agent forward in Seth Jarvis, who had 33 goals and 67 points last season. Jarvis is more responsible defensively while also being a significant threat in transition. He was probably the preferred option.

It’s also possible the Sabres considered Jesperi Kotkaniemi, though the center’s offensive and defensive numbers have been somewhat inconsistent over the past few seasons. With Evgeny Kuznetsov gone to Russia, Kotkaniemi is the default second-line center and likely won’t be available again.

No matter how far, if at all, the Necas trade talks between the Sabres and Hurricanes have gone, one thing is for sure: Buffalo has yet to add a top-tier forward. As the options continue to dwindle and the offseason wears on, it’s more likely the Sabres will have to make up the total.

Leaving 9% of the salary cap untouched after accepting a buyout penalty to release him would be a failure. Even if he is a short-term rental, the Sabres could use that extra boost to contend for the playoffs in a tough division next season. The Necas signing is the latest blow to the Sabres’ trade hopes.

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