Avalanche Must Re-Sign Necas to Long-Term Deal

When it was announced that the Colorado Avalanche had traded star winger Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes, it sent shockwaves through the hockey world. Though Rantanen was considered the best player in the deal, the Avalanche ultimately gained a bit of cap flexibility and got back a player who may be a better fit for their scheme in Martin Necas.

As they did with Rantanen this past season, the Avalanche now face the looming issue of whether to re-sign Necas or trade him. The only move should be to ink him to a new contract, preferably one that will keep him in Denver for a long time to come.

Necas Fits the System

One of the biggest reasons to meet the reportedly high price tag for Necas is because of how he fits in head coach Jared Bednar’s system. The Avalanche under Bednar play an up-tempo style, one that is predicated on cycling in the offensive zone, strong forechecking, and quick transitions.

Necas proved almost immediately that he is an excellent fit for the system. For starters, he is a stronger skater than Rantanen ever was, capable of playing at the speed-of-light pace that superstar center Nathan MacKinnon prefers to play at.

Necas has a high skill level even while playing at such a frantic pace. Though he leans more of a distributor than a shooter, playing next to MacKinnon for a full season will benefit just about anyone. MacKinnon will also have the utmost confidence in Necas knowing that the latter can keep up.

Necas’ Production Is Trending Up

There are only two years separating Rantanen and Necas, so it isn’t as if the Avalanche got all that much younger in the deal. Even still, Necas has mostly been trending up over the past three seasons. After scoring 28 goals and 71 points in 2022-23, he took a step back to 24 goals and 53 points but truly “broke out” in 2024-25.

Prior to arriving in Denver, his 55 points in 49 games had been among the league leaders. He finished with 27 goals and 83 points, the latter being a career-best by a mile. With 28 points in 30 games as a member of the Avalanche, it looks as though Necas had little trouble fitting in.

At 26 years old, a full season in Denver should see Necas’ production continue to trend upward. Whether he can hit the 100-point plateau that Rantanen regularly achieved remains to be seen. But if he can even come close to that level, the Avalanche need to get him signed long-term.

Finding Players of This Caliber Is Difficult

Being in the kind of position the Avalanche were in with Rantanen is tough. Committing too much money to a handful of players makes it tough to truly contend year after year. Having said that, the Avalanche may be in a position to get a player of a similar level at a slightly better rate.

Trading Necas away could make sense from a salary cap perspective, but the likelihood of getting that kind of player back is slim. The salary cap has to be managed, but you don’t waste the prime years of a talent like MacKinnon with wingers that can’t help him play at an MVP level.

Necas is the kind of player that you can feel confident putting out in big situations where a goal is needed. He has already shown strong chemistry with MacKinnon, and it feels like tempting fate to try to find someone else to fill that role through a trade.

Necas Is Their Guy

The Avalanche still have some time to figure out what to do with Necas. They are focused on 2025-26, possibly adding a bottom-six forward, and taking a run at the Stanley Cup. Necas may also see the value of being with a contender that has a pair of transcendent superstars on the team, but that remains to be seen.

At the end of the day, the Avalanche would be foolish to let Necas go unless his demands are just too far out of the realm of possibility. Keeping Necas around will ensure that MacKinnon has a top-flight winger to play with and that the Avalanche remain a threat in the Western Conference for years to come.