You know it’s been a significant week when signing a first-round pick is one of the smallest developments. In mid-July.
The Carolina Hurricanes ownership is “evaluating” a possible sale, yet that hasn’t stopped GM Ron Francis from making moves. The most noteworthy came recently, as he handed defenseman Jaccob Slavin a seven-year, $37.1 million contract. Another key move came today; the Hurricanes announced that they inked 2017 first-rounder Martin Necas to a three-year entry-level contract on Friday.
Necas, 18, was the 12th overall pick. Here are some additional details about his deal:
Hurricanes sign Martin Necas (@necas88) to his three-year entry-level contract. $832K annually in NHL, $70K in AHL. $277,500 signing bonus.
— Cory Lavalette (@corylav) July 14, 2017
It will be interesting to see how hindsight shines upon Necas and the rest of the Hurricanes’ 2017 draft class after Francis admitted that he wanted to flip at least some of those assets for more NHL-ready players.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping to take a few less picks,” Francis said after he selected nine players at the draft, per ‘Canes Country. “We’d had a lot of discussions about trying to move picks for players, but it just didn’t pan out the way we had hoped.”
Maybe Hurricanes will look back at such thoughts with amusement if Necas ends up being a significant contributor? Stranger things happen in sports.