The Devils desperately need to add some grit to their top 6 and they're looking at using arguably their best trade asset to acquire Necas...
Same exact thing with the Sabres.
To be fair, good power forwards or two-way forwards who are strong on the boards just don’t get traded. Guentzel got traded last year at the deadline but that’s because he was a rental.
There’s a reason why players like Necas/Zegras are the ones being put up in trade talks. I can’t speak for Zegras as I don’t even know if he really is on the market but we know Necas is and it makes sense. Contending teams like Carolina don’t trade their 25 years old forwards that can contribute 50 points. Look at Vancouver paying the price just to dump Mikheyev so they can make cap room for their other targets
(Guentzel/Zadorov/Hronek).
If Necas was really as good as Canes fans are saying, Canes management would pay the price to dump KK to make room for him and keep their contending windows open. He’s a good complimentary piece but he wants to get paid like a first liner. I’ve already spoken about him at length and all the red flags with him.
I don’t know about the Sabres, but I know Devils fans speak a lot about about their GM being on the hot seat. Like make the playoffs or he’s gone.
This is the type of move a GM who wants to keep his paycheck does. Trade a top 10 pick for the best thing he can get in order to get his team into the playoffs. And in this case it happens to be Necas, because no one is trading a top pairing defenseman or a true power forward ala Slaf/Brady for pick #10/#11.
Devils have a super good young core under team control for a long time. Their management should take their time, use the pick on someone like Sennecke/Iginla/Catton/Nygard/Helenius/Parekh//Dickinson.
Sure that player could bust but if that player reaches close to their potential, many of those guys have a much higher ceiling than Necas. Necas at 8M doesn’t make them a contender. Drafting one of those guys and that player hitting their ceiling or close to it while on a bargain contract does.
Canes have been one of the better run organizations. Dundon for all his flaws has built a top tier organization with a long standing vision. Seems to me like one of the best run franchises in the league is about to take one of the shittier ones for a dance.