Next season, the Colorado Avalanche will have a bit of a different look to them. The Avs enter the 2025-26 season with a little less than $9 million in available cap space after trading both Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood to the Columbus Blue Jackets, and there are still some areas — most notably on the right wing — that need some work. In order to re-sign some notable free agents (Jonathan Drouin and Joel Kiviranta chief among them) or bring in new talent from elsewhere in the league, it's likely the Avs will have to make a trade to free up space with which to enhance their overall depth. It is, after all, the fear of being top-heavy that led the Avs to trade Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Martin Nečas in the first place.
The idea behind the Nečas acquisition was two-fold: First, he provides complementary offensive output to that of Rantanen, although there are few players in he NHL who can replicate what Rantanen did during his decade in Denver. Second, he has another year on a team-friendly $6.5mil AAV contract, which alleviates some of the Avs' immediate cap concerns: things would be untenably bad if the Avs had paid for Rantanen.
While he, on paper, seems like a great fit in Colorado, there are credible reports that Martin Nečas doesn't plan to re-sign in Colorado. The front office in Denver — comprised of general manager (GM) Chris MacFarland and president of hockey operations Joe Sakic — has already illustrated that they are both committed to winning now and not committed to players whose contracts impact the team's ability to do so, regardless of the player's individual value. Accordingly, if extension talks with Nečas and his agent, Michael Deutsch, present even the slightest doubt that Nečas will don the burgundy and blue long-term, he's likely to be traded.
What are some options for another blockbuster trade out of the Mile High City? While there's no shortage of teams who'd love to send Colorado a player, some picks, and a prospect for the quietly-dominate Czech star, this article looks at a few unconventional paths forward for both the Avs and for Nečas.
Part of the problem is that other teams are also aware of Nečas' desire to test free agency, so it would be a gamble on whether or not a different team is any likelier to sign him than the Avs are. This will potentially make him difficult to move, even though he's in his last year as a restricted free agent (RFA), meaning the Avs are in sole control of his contract until it expires, and they aren't faced with any no-movement clause or any other similar restrictions.
What the Avalanche need, either in return for or as a replacement of Nečas, is someone skilled, versatile, and willing to sign a contract with term. If the Avs' priority is saving money, however, they need to set reasonable return expectations, and they'll need to take some risks, betting on their scouting and development to take on a player with less proven pedigree and more untapped upside. There's one player, in particular, who would mesh with coach Jared Bednar's system and would provide cost-efficient dividends for the Avalanche: Morgan Geekie.
There's just one issue: his rights are owned by the Boston Bruins, and that team is motivated to get a deal done for this player. It's not impossible — or even unthinkable — for Geekie to end up in Colorado, for Nečas to be offloaded elsewhere, and for things to work out for everyone involved, but it's pretty indirect and risky. Before breaking down the circuitous ways through which the Avs could trade Nečas and acquire Geekie, here's a breakdown of Geekie and what makes him a fit in Colorado.