There is no team in the NHL currently hotter than the Colorado Avalanche. General manager Chris MacFarland made moves on and around the trade deadline, and they’ve paid off significantly thus far, as the Avalanche pull away from the pack and sit third in the central division.
No team wants to see the Avalanche in the playoffs. Their combination of lethal scoring, styming defense and brick-wall goaltending bode well on the chase for Lord Stanley, and MacFarland has helped them get there, adding plenty of depth this season.
The one move that’s paid off the biggest is the move that no one saw coming: trading Avalanche stalwart Mikko Rantanen for Martin Necas, among other players involved.
Necas was a star player for his previous team, Carolina, but has turned up the volume, being able to play with stars like Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon in the mile high city.
In 25 games wearing the burgundy and blue, Necas has 25 points—10 goals and 15 assists. His possession metrics are all career highs since he’s donned the Avalanche sweater, with a Corsi For rating of 66.3% and a Fenwick For rating of 65.7%, besting his previous career high by 1.4%.
The Czech forward has made his most impact on the Avalanche power play, already loaded with star players. Prior to Necas’ arrival, the Avs’ power play was sputtering (for them), cashing in at a 20.4% success rate. That’s a quality number for most teams in the league.
Since the insertion of Necas on the first unit, the power play has been hitting at an incredible 38.1% success rate, tops in the league. Sure, the Avalanche have also added players like Brock Nelson, maestro in front of the net on the power play, but Necas was added far prior to the deadline.
As the season moves towards the playoffs, special teams play a major factor in the tight checking realm the chase for the Stanley Cup brings. With the Avalanche near 40% since 88’s arrival, that bodes well for sustained success in the tournament.
To add to the sharpness of the Necas acquisition, he’s still under contract for another season, as he signed a two-year deal with Carolina prior to this season. It feels very likely that MacFarland won’t wait to sign Necas to a longer-term contract.
Although initial reactions were trepidatious, fans have come around to realizing MacFarland’s move may have helped the Avalanche move from meddling to stardom, as their outlook has changed drastically since the deadline.