One of the biggest storylines heading into this season for the Colorado Avalanche is Martin Necas’ impending free agency.
Thus far, it’s been all quiet on the western front. Neither the Avalanche nor Necas’ camp has said much about an extension. It’s almost as if there is some sort of tense calm as both sides figure out what to do.
However, reports surfacing this week about Connor McDavid and Kirill Kaprizov have lit up a light bulb.
First, let’s get to the reports. A report by RG Media from September 12 hinted that Kaprizov is waiting for Connor McDavid to extend in Edmonton. The reason is that, depending on how high McDavid sets the bar, Kaprizov could surpass it.
Consequently, McDavid could be waiting for Kaprizov to sign and set the bar himself. That situation has likely impacted impending free agents like Jack Eichel in Vegas, Artemi Panarin in New York, and Sergei Bobrovsky in Florida. They’ll all be holding their breath until McDavid sets the market.
Martin Necas could also be among those waiting for McDavid and Kaprizov to set the bar. Kaprizov could set the floor for McDavid’s deal, while McDavid would be the ceiling for everyone else.
Necas is coming off a two-year deal with a $6.5 million AAV. Assuming Kaprizov and McDavid top $16 million, with McDavid potentially hitting the max $19 million allowed under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), Necas could lay the wood on the Avs.
The Czech forward could easily ask for a contract with a higher AAV than Nathan MacKinnon’s.
Avalanche could be in impossible position with Necas
The Avalanche could have painted themselves into a corner with Martin Necas’ next contract. Last season, the entire holdup with Mikko Rantanen was his demands for a contract surpassing Nathan MacKinnon’s $12.6 million AAV.
The club was reluctant to pay Rantanen, or anyone for that matter, above MacKinnon. The Avs were willing to ship Rantanen off to avoid a contract standoff and a free agency mess.
Now, they face the same situation. Assuming that both Kaprizov and McDavid get $16 million, Necas’ camp could demand a deal around $14 million or even more. If the Avs pay, fans will question the club over why pay Necas and not Rantanen.
If the Avs pass on Necas, they’ll either need to trade him or let him walk in free agency. It’s a catch-22 that Chris MacFarland could be losing sleep over.
The easiest way out would be to pay Necas. Keep him on the team, especially if he has a great start to the season. But then again, why break the self-imposed rule now? The team could argue that they learned a painful lesson with Rantanen. So, it’s something they don’t want to subject fans to again.
While we could debate whether or not Necas is worth, say, $13 million or more, the fact is that the Avalanche and Necas will continue in a holding pattern until McDavid or Kaprizov blinks.