Hurricanes focused on new contracts for Necas, Jarvis

Martin Necas and Seth Jarvis each is a restricted free agent, and signing each forward to a new contract is the primary focus for the Carolina Hurricanes after they terminated the contract of forward Evgeny Kuznetsov on Thursday, general manager Eric Tulsky said.

Necas and Jarvis are the last pieces of unfinished business for Carolina after restricted free agent forward Jack Drury signed a two-year, $3.45 million contract ($1.725 million average annual value) on Wednesday to avoid a salary arbitration hearing. Necas has a salary arbitration hearing scheduled for Aug. 4, so there is more urgency than with Jarvis, who was not eligible for arbitration.

"We're continuing to talk to his agent, trying to negotiate a deal," Tulsky said of Necas. "Obviously, both sides would prefer that to going to a hearing, but arbitration creates a mechanism where if we can't agree on a deal, then a third party settles the deal for us. So, one way or another, it will get settled."

Necas had 53 points (24 goals, 29 assists) in 77 regular-season games and nine points (four goals, five assists) in 11 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, when Carolina lost to the New York Rangers in six games in the Eastern Conference Second Round.

The 25-year-old is coming off a two-year contract ($3 million AAV) he signed Aug. 9, 2022. Tulsky said he has discussed a variety of contract lengths in negotiations with Necas' agent.

"We have put everything on the table from one year to eight years," Tulsky said. "So, it's a question of figuring out whether there's something that makes sense for both sides."

The No. 12 pick by Carolina in the 2017 NHL Draft, Necas has 243 points (97 goals, 146 assists) in 362 regular-season games over seven seasons and 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists) in 59 playoff games.

He reportedly asked for a trade after the season, but it sounds likely he'll remain with Carolina at least to begin the season.

"It is a lot easier to make trades before July 1 when teams have flexibility to go pivot and sign other players to replace whatever they gave up than it is after July 1 when their roster is mostly built," Tulsky said. "We are continuing to talk to teams and we don't want to miss an opportunity to make the team better, but teams have less flexibility now than they had in June, so it's harder to find a deal now than it was then."

Although there is no arbitration hearing date to push the process with Jarvis, Tulsky expressed confidence he will be re-signed.

"It will get done eventually," Tulsky said. "He wants to be here forever. We want him here forever. We just have to agree on what the right number is."

Jarvis, the No. 13 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, set NHL career-highs with 33 goals, 34 assists and 67 points in 81 games last season, his third in the NHL and had nine points (five goals, four assists) in 11 playoff games.

The 22-year-old is coming off his three-year, $2.775 million entry-level contract, which carried an AAV of $925,000. Although the goal is to lock up Jarvis long-term, Tulsky said signing him to a shorter-term bridge deal initially is among the options being discussed.

"It's possible it will be short-term deal and then a longer-term later," he said. "It's possible we'll do a long-term deal now. There's a lot of ways of getting it done, but nobody is concerned about whether he's going to be here for the long haul. It's just a question of how the contract makes that work."

Tulsky, who was promoted from assistant GM to replace Don Waddell as interim GM on May 24 before being named to the position on a full-time basis June 18, acknowledged things have slowed down after a frantically busy start to the offseason in which much of the Hurricanes roster has been retooled. Kuznetsov was the latest player to depart following forwards Jake Guentzel (traded to and signed with Tampa Bay Lightning), Teuvo Teravainen (signed with Chicago Blackhawks) and Stefan Noesen (signed with New Jersey Devils), and defensemen Brady Skjei (signed with Nashville Predators) and Brett Pesce (signed with Devils).

Carolina was able to replace some of what it lost by re-signing unrestricted free agent defensemen Sean Walker (five years, $3.6 million AAV) and Shayne Gostisbehere (three years, $3.2 million AAV), and forwards William Carrier (six years, $2 million AAV), Jack Roslovic (one year, $2.8 million), Eric Robinson (one year, $950,000) and Tyson Jost (one year, $775,000).

Kuznetsov had one season remaining on an eight-year, $62.4 million contract he signed with the Washington Capitals on July 2, 2017. It had an average annual value of $7.8 million with Carolina being responsible for $3.9 million after Washington retained 50 percent of the 32-year-old's salary when he was traded to Carolina on March 8 for a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

Kuznetsov had seven points (two goals, five assists) in 20 regular-season games with Carolina and six points (four goals, two assists) in 10 playoff games. Tulsky said it's unlikely the Hurricanes will use the additional cap space created by Kuznetsov's contract being terminated to sign or trade for a center to replace him.

"I think we're comfortable with what we have," Tulsky said. "Right now, our focus is on getting our last couple of RFAs signed. We are continuing to talk to teams about trade possibilities and looking at what's left out there. There is time left in the summer, so we are still looking under every rock trying to make the team better. But I think the most likely outcome right now is that we have our group unless something surprising comes up."