Hurricanes Have Surprising MVP Candidate

The Carolina Hurricanes have a surprising MVP candidate emerging this season.

Nov 17, 2024; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Martin Necas (88) celebrates the win after the game against the St. Louis Blues at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images / James Guillory-Imagn Images

Travel back to this past offseason with the Carolina Hurricanes. The team just lost winger Jake Guentzel in free agency after going for it at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline. Mired in multiple contract disputes with restricted free agents, it's unclear if the Hurricanes will be competitive this season.

Through the first quarter of this season, however, the Hurricanes are not only competitive, they are a legitimate contender. And as they are continuing to run roughshod over the NHL, they have a surprising MVP candidate emerging: forward Martin Necas.

If you were to guess which Hurricanes player would be leading the league in scoring and a front-runner for the MVP award, you'd likely guess center Sebastian Aho. He's the centerpiece of this organization and the team's most consistent scorer since joining the franchise. But Necas is having a breakout campaign, and he's shattering all expectations and salary laid out when he signed his two-year contract extension in the offseason.

Through the first 21 games of the season, Necas has a whopping 12 goals, 23 assists, and 35 points. He's tied with Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon for the NHL lead in scoring. Coming off of a 24-goal, 53-point campaign last year, he's likely to surpass those marks and set new offensive career highs by a clear margin in 2025.

For the emerging superstar, this type of performance has long been his expectation. He recently spoke with Matt Larkin of The Daily Faceoff to talk about his hot start, and it's clear that he's been waiting for this opportunity with Carolina.

"I always believed in myself that I could be this kind of player," he said. "Even the opportunity, being on the first power play and on the ice for the moments where you need to score and in those important situations, is huge. My linemates have been really good, it’s been real fun with them and obviously the power play has been clicking which helps a lot too. Confidence is a big part of a game, and when you’re playing in that little flow, you don’t really think about a game too much."

Necas is having the best start to a season in his NHL career, but there's no reason to believe he can't sustain it for the rest of the campaign. He's playing the most amount of ice-time he's ever averaged, and he's playing alongside the team's most natural sniper, Andrei Svechnikov, which is maximizing his playmaking potential. Put it all together, and Necas could be a dark horse for the MVP Award this season.

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