The phenomenal Nečas is dragging the Czech Republic to gold even with a broken finger. Benefiting from extreme guarding of Pastrnak

The entire Czech hockey nation was waiting with anticipation for the arrival of David Pastrňák as the saviour who would lead the national team to a medal. Somewhat unexpectedly, however, the Czech team is being led by another NHL reinforcement, Martin Nečas, who has been performing phenomenally in Prague.

The arrival of David Pastrňák was awaited like a mercy. The arrival of one of the best players in the world was highly anticipated. But so far he has remained a bit on the sidelines, which is largely due to his name.

The opponents guard Pastrňák like a hawk and put their best defenders on him. In the semifinal against Sweden, for example, the NHL’s elite defenseman Victor Hedman took on Pastrňák and didn’t leave him an inch of space.

But with Pastrnak drawing so much attention, others can shine. The second line, led by Martin Necas, took up the gauntlet and took over as the team’s key player.

In the regular group against Canada he contributed with two luxurious assists to tighten the loss from 1:3 to 3:3, and he was one of the best players in the quarterfinals against the USA. He saved his best performance so far for the semi-final against Sweden.

When the Czechs scored the first goal in the fourth minute, a few minutes later, Nečas took a shot and his attempt was put into the net by Kubalík. The Swedes immediately regained the lead, but a minute later Nečas took the puck again, flew past the Swedish defense and fed the puck into the slot to Kämpf, who tied the game at 2:2.

When the Czechs led 3:2 in the second period thanks to Kashe, Nečas scored his first goal of the tournament just 16 seconds later. In the next 3 minutes, he was involved in a breakaway situation, which was finished by Kubalík.

Nečas crowned his phenomenal performance with a 1+3 record, playing with a broken finger he brought back from the NHL. He is literally flying on the ice, his pirouettes and spins practically on the spot are a joy to watch. At the same time, he has an excellent handle on the puck.

Trejd for better?

At 25 years old, Nečas has matured into an elite NHL player who deserves a spot on the first two lines. But he doesn’t get that regularly in Carolina, so he’s thinking about a trade. His contract expires in the summer and he will become a protected free agent, and he will definitely get a raise from his current $3 million per season.

There are several suitors for Nečas, and the Žďár native raised his price tag with his performance at the World Championships. A trade to Nashville was imminent in the winter and Vancouver was also very interested. Currently, there are speculations about Colorado or Florida.

Source: NHL, World Cup of Hockey 2024