Since coming into the league Jake scores like MacKinnon and McDavid in the playoffs. Over a span of 50+ games.
No Carolina Hurricane has scored 40 goals in the last ten years.
He’s exactly what the Canes need.
Necas is a solid top six forward. He gives the Penguins some youth. He is nowhere close to the impact player Jake Guentzel is.
Penguins get a younger player they can likely resign for a few years then deal for assets.
Carolina gets their elite game changer they have desperately needed for nearly five years.
There’s a lot to unpack here….
We all love to oversell our guy for trade proposal purposes but opening with comparing Jake to Mackinnon and Mcdavid is certainly a bold stroke. Unfortunately it leaves me feeling I’m talking to someone that doesn’t really deal with reality. I feel unconvinced on this Mcdavid/Mack point. I’m just gonna stick with my personal take that Jake is a natural goal scorer that’s primarily played with the best playmaker in the game from his first day. Occasionally I’m sure he’s played with the other guy who’s not that bad either. To act like Jake’s career and production has not been shaped by this is lunacy. Yes he’s a great finisher, but he will have a drop down to earth playing with the Canes.
Necas isn’t the finisher Jake is but he’s a creator more than Jake is. You’re undervaluing him, but I’m expecting that in these conversations.
The Canes don’t get an elite game changer they need, they get a very good finisher that they need.
Even if he was this “elite game changer”….hes a rental. Rentals have set prices. That price is a usually high pick and a variable prospect depending on the “eliteness” of the rental. You can have that standard price. Maybe even an extra pick or prospect that’s lesser than the first pick or prospect. You don’t get a 25 year old 60-70 pt scorer. There’s no precedent for that, and Jake isn’t the guy that breaks the precedent. Even Forsberg for Erat doesn’t apply here (it shouldn’t apply anywhere) because Forsberg was a prospect not a developed and fairly proven NHL player like Necas.
Jake is what the Canes need, on a long term contract. He’s just passing through town as a rental. You’d get a first and you can argue over the non Nikishin prospect.