I get that but those are all 50/50 what ifs. Same could be said for the opposite. What if Necas has another underwhelming season, what if he's only a middle 6 winged. OR what if Horvat puts up 40 goals this year, what if horvats defensive game takes another step and becomes a selke candidate.

I'm not disagreeing that Necas has lots of potential but Horvat is currently the safer more reliable player where you know the base line is a bonafide 2C and PP goal scorer.

The trade is about creating a team that has a better chance at winning the cup now while potentially giving up future potential to an extent.