Martin Necas could be pricing himself out of the Colorado Avalanche, not because the team can’t afford him, but rather because they may not want to for the price he will likely be asking. Just one year later, the Avalanche find themselves in a very similar situation to the one they had with Mikko Rantanen. Necas is an upcoming UFA after the season and without a contract.
Like Rantanen, Necas has proven to have excellent chemistry with Nathan MacKinnon on the top line and top power-play unit. Whatever numbers were being thrown out in the Rantanen discussion clearly didn’t sit well with the Avalanche, so a trade happened and Necas was the main piece brought back in the return from the Carolina Hurricanes.
He is much less proven, while also not getting to play beside MacKinnon for many years, but Necas elevated his game even further last season with more of an opportunity in Carolina and Colorado, finishing with 27 goals and 83 points in 79 games.
Will the Avalanche Make a Better Decision With Necas?
In hindsight, the trade of Rantanen could have lasting effects as he landed on the Dallas Stars with a $12 million AAV extension before the cap was announced to be really going up, thus shooting the contracts up in the near future, as we’ve seen already. What could have been a sub-$10 million AAV deal for Martin Necas long-term has seemingly turned into an extension that has to be in eight figures, even for the short-term.
Necas already has a share of the league lead in scoring alongside MacKinnon with eight points apiece through four games. Necas started last season just as hot, but without being with superstar talent like MacKinnon and Cale Makar.
The Avalanche have a few choices with Necas. The first is that the two sides can work on an extension and get something done before the trade deadline, avoiding the Rantanen situation. But the Avalanche could once again try to pull off a move that pushes their decision down the line, potentially impacting MacKinnon and company. The other path the Avalanche could walk is, while trying to get a contract done, it drags on past the trade deadline, and a new deal is either worked out after or not at all.
Avalanche Have a Tight Window to Sign Necas
The Avalanche have a tight window to sign Martin Necas, and I mean that in multiple ways. He is a UFA next summer, so time is ticking, but his contract is also very unlikely to exceed MacKinnon’s at $12.6 million AAV, even with MacKinnon being in the third year of his deal. As said on Sportsnet, “even though Necas’ extension is the most pressing, it won’t be Colorado’s top priority.” Makar is able to sign next summer, so the Avalanche would be wise to hurry things along with Necas.
Pierre LeBrun believes, “The player (Necas) is okay taking his time and letting the season start before having his agent dig in deeper in talks with the Avs. I think that extension will eventually get done.” Signing Necas would see the Avalanche learn from their mistakes of last season. The cap is going up and GMs have to adjust to that. His deal, whether likely wanting to cash in long-term beside one of the best players in the world, will presumably land within the $10 million AAV and $12 million AAV marks.
Colorado can’t lose another player this good, especially when trying to maintain a Stanley Cup contender.
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