Carolina Hurricanes: Martin Necas deserves more playing time

Martin Necas has proven to the Carolina Hurricanes that he deserves more playing time. However, getting him more ice time could be tricky.

Whenever the Carolina Hurricanes get back on the ice, they’ll have a pretty deep core of forwards. They have a great problem, as their forward depth is impressive. Young forward Martin Necas, however, has been the victim of a logjam.

His first full season in the NHL has been an impressive one. So far this season, he has 16 goals, which ranks fourth among all rookies. In 64 games, Necas has 36 points, which ranks seventh among rookies. However, some context is required. Necas averages 14:10 of ice time per game, which is less ice time per game than everyone above him in points.

Among all Hurricanes forwards with at least 300 5v5 minutes played, Necas averaged the eighth-most ice time per game at 5v5 (11:50). Yet he also averaged the fifth-most 5v5 points per hour (1.9), the fourth-most 5v5 goals per hour (0.87), and the seventh-most total assists per hour (1.03) among Hurricanes forwards.

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On paper, Necas’ play has translated fairly well as far as production. He’s easily one of the fastest players in the league and more importantly, he knows how to use his speed to his advantage. Considering this is his rookie season, even if the season’s over, Necas still had a successful rookie season. He proved he belonged and he has forced his team to take note of his emergence.

However, once again, context is always necessary when evaluating players. Let’s take a look at his most common line mates and where they ranked in 5v5 points per hour.

Most Common Line Mates

• Ryan Dzingel – 440:10 (7th)
• Erik Haula* – 357:16 (6th)
• Lucas Wallmark – 216:27 (8th)

*Traded to the Florida Panthers at the trade deadline

This tells us that Necas is producing well despite not playing much with players like Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen, and Andrei Svechnikov. Haula’s departure should open up an opportunity for Necas to get more playing time, hopefully with some more skilled players.

Where Does Necas Need To Improve

One area that Necas needs to improve is in his two-way game. He’s always been more offensively inclined, but if he wants more consistent playing time, he’s going to have to earn it. It’s worth noting the Hurricanes are an excellent possession team, but Necas still had one of the worst relative 5v5 CorsiFor percentages on the team at -3.63%. In fact, his relative metrics are bad across the board.

The Hurricanes could try several things to help Necas grow as a player. First of all, they could try separating him from Dzingel. They simply were not good together. Perhaps Wallmark would be a good guy for him to play with, as they did quite well together as far as possession stats are concerned. Also, Wallmark’s defensively responsible and could help Necas grow in that regard.

For what it’s worth, he also did quite well with Nino Niederreiter, albeit in just 203 minutes. Necas needs a more consistent role in 2020-21. Assuming he gets it, he could be a breakout candidate for next season. Necas has all the tools necessary to have success. But on a talented team, playing time could be hard for him to earn.