Hurricanes Not Expected To Re-Sign Brett Pesce, Martin Necas
By all accounts, one of the most fascinating teams to watch this summer will be the Hurricanes. Not only is head coach Rod Brind'Amour's career in doubt after the Rangers eliminated them in the second round, but they also have several unrestricted free agents who are among the top 20 names available if they are not re-signed by July 1.
One of them is defenseman Brett Pesce, whose season came to an end due to a lower-body injury in Game 2 of the first round against the Islanders. According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman in Friday's edition of "32 Thoughts," the top-four mainstay in Raleigh for almost ten years may have played his final game for the Canes.
He's still probably going to get a little better deal than what Carolina is giving him, though, after a sustained run as one of the league's best two-way defenders. According to Evolving Hockey, he will sign a six-year contract with a cap hit of about $5.5 million on the open market.
This summer, Nečas will be eligible for wage arbitration, so they might have to sign him to a sign-and-trade or let him negotiate with other teams. By allowing Nečas to force an acquiring team to arbitration, his chances of winning
“Pesce didn’t seem likely. They kinda told him what they were willing to do last year,” Friedman said. “I think it was in the (five years, $5MM AAV) range. It didn’t work. I don’t know that it’s changed.”
Reports early in the 2024 UFAs' extension-eligible era suggested that the Hurricanes were not in the process of extending any of them, with the exception of franchise centre Sebastian Aho, who signed the highest-paying contract in team history in July. This included Pesce, who most believed Carolina would trade for in order to keep him from being a free agent prior to the season. Last summer, he was even permitted to talk about extensions with other clubs. However, general manager Don Waddell removed Friedman from the trade list, as he revealed during training camp.
For Pesce, who just had what may have been his poorest season since his rookie year, it wasn't the best choice. His 20:17 average per game was the lowest since 2015–16, and his 0.19 points per game was a career low. His possession measures, including anticipated goals and shooting attempts, were about average for the squad.
asserts that he doesn't think Carolina will accomplish "what Nečas wants to do" and that forward Martin Nečas, who is currently a restricted free agent following the completion of a two-year, $6MM bridge deal, may have his signing rights traded this summer. The Hurricanes are anticipated to give first priority to re-sign Jake Guentzel, their trade deadline acquisition and the best left wing on the pending UFA market. In addition, he notes that Seth Jarvis, an RFA similar to Necas, has internally outperformed him and is now more of a long-term financial priority.
Friedman asserts that he doesn't think Carolina will accomplish "what Nečas wants to do" and that forward Martin Nečas, who is currently a restricted free agent following the completion of a two-year, $6MM bridge deal, may have his signing rights traded this summer. The Hurricanes are anticipated to give first priority to re-sign Jake Guentzel, their trade deadline acquisition and the best left wing on the pending UFA market. In addition, he notes that Seth Jarvis, an RFA similar to Necas, has internally outperformed him and is now more of a long-term financial priority.
Since Nečas was on Carolina's reserve list at the trade deadline, any team acquiring him could only sign him for a seven-year contract if they wanted to go for the maximum length; however, an eight-year agreement could be reached through a sign-and-trade. With a $7.5MM cap impact, Evolving Hockey predicts that as the most likely result.
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