Devils Dangling 10th Overall Pick for Nečas

Martin Nečas would likely be a great stylistic fit for the New Jersey Devils, but is he worth the 10th overall pick?

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Do you want something spicy? Well, Frank Seravalli delivered the goods last night in his latest Trade Targets piece for Daily Faceoff. In that post, he reported the belief is that the New Jersey Devils have dangled the 10th overall pick for Carolina Hurricanes winger Martin Nečas.

Nečas finished this past season with 24 goals and 53 points in 77 games and is one year removed from a 28-goal, 71-point campaign. He's a great stylistic fit for the Devils, but is he worth the 10th overall pick, given some of the question marks about his game? And can the Devils make it work financially?

Nečas' Style Should Fit the Devils Well

The Hurricanes have a specific grind-away dump-and-chase style of hockey that they play under head coach Rod Brind'Amour. Most players they've acquired or drafted cater to that style of play, but Nečas is not one of them.

Nečas is not the only player the Hurricanes have who can create offense off the rush and in transition, but he is the best at it. A look at his microstats from Corey Sznajder's tracked data better demonstrates why he'd probably be a great stylistic fit for the Devils.

First, Nečas is an elite skater, ranking in the 98th percentile in skating speed. The Devils need to get tougher this offseason, but they also need to get faster, and Nečas definitely would accomplish the latter. That skating helps him create offense off the rush, where he ranked in the 89th percentile this season.

Nečas is not a one-trick pony, though. His in-zone offense ranked in the 97th percentile this season, and he creates plenty of shots in the offensive zone, ranking in the 98th percentile.

Not only is Nečas a good shot creator, but he is a good playmaker and facilitator, too. He's not Jack Hughes or Jesper Bratt when it comes to zone entries and zone exits, but he will gain the offensive zone cleanly and exit the defensive zone with possession.

Though he might look like a bit more of the same, Nečas isn't exactly the same as the rest of the Devils' forward group. He's 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, and he's not soft. He's not the most overly physical player, but he did record 77 hits this season, so he's not afraid to throw a hit here and there. And his forechecking is at least average, which is better than you can say about most of the Devils' top-six forwards other than maybe Timo Meier.

Nečas' microstats look great and suggest that perhaps with a move to another team that fits his style better, there could be more consistent production offensively. Because with the Hurricanes, his five-on-five scoring was just so-so; he's averaged 1.86 points per 60 minutes over the last three seasons and just 0.68 goals per 60 minutes.

That's part of what a Nečas trade would be. You're betting on upside and that based on his microstats, the 25-year-old winger has more to offer than 24 goals and 53 points. He showed that's possible in 2022-23 but that it might not necessarily happen consistently in Carolina.

How Much Is Nečas Worth?