Colorado Avalanche heading down familiar path with Necas

The Colorado Avalanche are heading down a familiar path with Martin Necas this season. The Avalanche have a star winger who’s in the final year of his current contract. He remains unsigned and doesn’t look like he will in the near future.

This star winger could command a substantial deal and risks blowing past Nathan MacKinnon’s $12.6 million AAV.

That situation is eerily familiar to the situation the Avs were in last season with Mikko Rantanen. Now, the script is similar, but the main character is Martin Necas.

The situation is gradually capturing the attention of insiders. One, in particular, Frank Seravalli, addressed the issue in an appearance on B/R Open Ice published on September 16.

In his comments regarding the Avalanche-Necas situation, Seravalli made it clear that the Avs must either extend or trade Necas. However, an extension could mirror the one the Avs did not want to give Rantanen.

Check out Seravalli’s comments here:

So, the situation begs the question: Do the Avalanche pay up or trade Necas?

If they pay up, as Seravalli noted, the price could come in at least $10 million AAV. But that seems like the low end for Necas. If he can remain around a point-per-game this season, it will be tough for the Avalanche to talk him down from a $12 million AAV.

But if Necas puts up numbers similar to last season or more, the floor could be $12 million. That situation could force the Avalanche to seriously ponder lifting their self-imposed limit on contracts.

Necas and Avalanche could be waiting for Kaprizov and McDavid to sign

One of the points I’ve discussed in previous posts is the fact that Martin Necas, like other impending UFAs, is holding their breath on the extensions for Kirill Kaprizov in Minnesota and Connor McDavid in Edmonton.

Kaprizov is perhaps the better comparable to Necas. McDavid is in a class by himself. In fact, the only player who could compare to McDavid is MacKinnon. Makar will soon join that club, though he’s a defenseman, so it’s not really a fair comparison.

Anyhow, the Avalanche and Necas could be looking to follow Kaprizov’s lead. If Kaprizov signs for, let’s say, $16 million AAV, that’s something Necas’ camp can use to negotiate with the Avalanche.

If McDavid comes in for around $18 million, Necas’ reps can set the ballpark between $15 to $18 million.

Such a scenario would put the Avalanche in a pickle. If they pay up, they’ll have to find the cap space to do it. If they don’t, they’ll have to find a willing trade partner. Now, Necas doesn’t have a no-trade clause.

BUT other GMs would want some type of assurance that Necas will re-sign before pulling the trigger on a deal. Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense to trade for Necas and then have him walk away.

Unless another club was willing to bring Necas in solely as a rental, it might work. But even if that was the case, the Avalanche wouldn’t get the return they would like for Necas. A GM looking to land Necas as a rental might pay a couple of late-round picks. Such a return would not sit well with the Avalanche fan base.

Ultimately, the Avs are in a bind. GM Chris MacFarland may have no choice but to wait for now. If the Kaprizov or McDavid situations drag on into the summer, Necas may wait that long. After all, Necas may not be in a hurry to get a deal done. But the Avalanche are.