Martin Necas & Colorado Avalanche: fit, financials, future

Martin Necas has waited a long time to be in the driver’s seat of his contract negotiations. All his previous three signings had him at a disadvantage. This season, as he contemplates whether to extend now with the Colorado Avalanche or wait and see what the season holds, he can aim for a contract that he feels reflects the value that he brings to the team.

Stepping stone contracts

Necas signed his entry-level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes as an18-year-old in 2017, and every season has been a battle for him to prove his value, both in terms of ice time and dollar signs.  That ELC did not even officially begin until the 2019-20 season due to rules about his age and lack of games played at the NHL level. Once he did make it onto the Canes roster, he enjoyed modest success but often seemed miscast in Rod Brind’amour’s defense-first system. Under team control as an RFA, Necas signed two bridge deals – one in the summer of 2022 and one last offseason in 2024 – to bring him to his goal of being an unrestricted free agent and controlling his own contractual destiny.

Mounting frustration

The biggest struggle for Necas in Carolina was feeling like he was not able to fully realize his potential in that system. He lacked consistent top-line deployment and even found himself at times on the fourth line. He spent time on the top power play unit and then would be shuffled down to the second one. He would start to hit a groove, and then be derailed when his high-risk, high-reward style of play resulted in defensive breakdowns. The frustration levels grew to the point that even Necas’ father spoke out against it last summer stating that his son wanted the top-line, top-power-play minutes that his skills merited.

Coming to Colorado

The second bridge deal that Necas signed with the Hurricanes was structured to be both ideal for the team’s cap structure and flexibility to trade if the opportunity arose. That opportunity arrived in the form of the trade to Colorado. In all the ways that Carolina was an imperfect fit for Necas’ skillset, Colorado’s was ideal. Necas found himself in a system that promotes offensive creativity and risk taking, even at the expense of possibly giving up a chance the other way. He also found himself logging more ice time per game, getting top-line minutes alongside Nathan MacKinnon, and contributing on the top power play. While there were some growing pains, it was easy to see why Necas makes long-term sense as a member of the Avalanche.

It is all about being valued

Necas’ entire NHL career has been played under the shadow of feeling undervalued both on the ice and in his contract. He believes, despite his uneven results in past seasons and in the playoffs, that he is an elite winger and he wants his next contract to reflect that. He knows that it is in his best interest to remain with the Colorado Avalanche, but he will be willing to walk away if he feels like the organization is trying to financially undercut him. The question now is whether the front office is willing to show faith and to commit long-term to the player now or ask him to prove it in their system over a full season before they agree to a contract figure. If they do ask him to spend yet another season of his career to prove his worth, they run the risk of him doing just that and having to acknowledge that value with more money on said contract or having to let him walk because they can no longer afford him.

The Colorado Avalanche should bet on Martin Necas and give him a contract that reflects the value of whom they think he is and will be on their team and in their system. Their show of faith in his abilities will allow Necas to not have to worry about proving himself and will allow him to dial up the best aspects of his game to be a lethal threat alongside Nathan MacKinnon. While it is true that Necas will be hunting for his fortune with his next contract, there is one thing that matters more than that fortune, and that is the ability to build his legacy. With (presumably) eight years to craft that legacy within the security of that contract, there is a high likelihood that he will outplay its number and be a key cog in the team’s offense for many more seasons and playoff runs to come.