SPDN YouTube: Chris Johnston and Julian McKenzie on the Chris Johnston Show talking about Martin Necas and Nikolaj Ehlers offseason trade speculation.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
McKenzie: “It’s out there that the Carolina Hurricanes at a trade for Martin Necas, they would probably want an established player back as opposed to just a package with futures. As we start to figure out, or at least try to figure out which teams might be involved, or at least we know the number of, how many teams might still be on Marty.
Has that changed the asking price at all? Has that changed?”
Johnston: “No, I don’t think it has. I think, you know, there’s, they’re holding firm to that. And, you know, so what you’re talking about is kind of a hockey deal, right?
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You’re looking to, maybe there’s a similar player I mean, we can point to Nicolaj Ehlers in Winnipeg, where the Jets are now listening on him. Like, could that be a fit?
You know, I’m not certain it is or it isn’t. But like, you start to look at those kinds of scenarios where, you know, two teams are both incentivized. And neither of those guys have problems, I don’t want to frame it as that but you have maybe a potential looming problem or some uncertainty.
You know, in the case of healers, he’s one year out from being a free agent and he’s, you know, he’s in line to get a pretty healthy raise. And so in Winnipeg make that work but also being beside Kyle Connor.
And, you know, in Necas case, restricted free agent in the summer. He’s got two years of RFA status left. But you know, he’s, he just decided long term, it’s going to be a major commitment.
And so perhaps you end up with a fit like that. And you know, I don’t want to make it sound like it has to be a Winnipeg, Carolina fit, but I think that that’s kind of the sort of deals that you’re looking at, potentially here for Necas.
And so, you know, there are players around the league, I mean, this those aren’t the only two that are, that are, you know, posing some challenges for their teams and that are, you know, closer to gaining their full rights under the CBA. And so, let’s see if we can find a match somewhere there.”
McKenzie: “Necas for Ehlers. I wonder, you know what, maybe I shouldn’t throw that in the universe. Do you have anything else on Nikolaj Ehlers?”
Johnston: “Not really, I mean, I don’t think the Jets feel they have to move him or anything like that. It’s just, you know, as they’re looking, as they’re looking forward, I mean, it’s just they have a decision to make they have, you know, the, the cap, the cap comes for everybody, not just the teams that win the cup, but even the ones that have been good teams, but haven’t quite gotten to that level.
And I think the Jets are at a position where it’s going to be tough to pay him and pay Kyle Connor. And they have to look ahead to what they have in their system and so you know, I think that they’re open to exploring that the Ehlers market to see what, what that could do for them and what it might free up.”
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