Everything finally came together for Martin Necas last season. In his first full season with the Colorado Avalanche, he hit the 100-point mark for the first time in his career.
It was a milestone that he wouldn’t have otherwise reached in Carolina. The 27-year-old spent several seasons trying to get out from under the suffocating defensive-based system that led Rod Brind’Amour’s team to the Stanley Cup last spring.
This year, there will be a unique sort of pressure on Necas. That pressure will be to prove that his 100-point campaign last season was no fluke.
Given the circumstances, the former first-round pick from 2017 might prove that last season was just the beginning.
First of all, Necas hit 38 goals this past season. It was the first time he topped 30 tallies in a season. The closest he had ever come was 28 back in 2022-23. That was then a career-high season for Necas. Now that he’s proven he can do it, is there anything stopping Necas from hitting 40 goals? You might say that a couple of crossbars kept him from 40 last season.
But let’s assume a couple of those shots of the post end up going his way. Would it be out of the question to assume Necas hits 40 goals?
It’s certainly within the realm of possibility.
The Avalanche star also topped 60 assists last season. If he can replicate that number, plus 40 goals, Necas could well sail past 100 points. All of a sudden, 110 might not be that far off.
The good news is that Necas has several factors playing in his favor.
Avalanche are the perfect spot for Martin Necas to excel
There is little doubt that Necas will play with Nathan MacKinnon this upcoming season. The duo has been fantastic and has thrived since joining forces.
That has to be the biggest factor in Necas’ favor. Playing with the best center in the world is the most important thing that Necas has going for him.
Then, there’s the Avalanche power play.
Even though Colorado did not overwhelm anyone with the man advantage last season, it’s worth pointing out that Necas averaged nearly four minutes a night on the power play. At some point, the Avs will have to break through. And when they do, the points could begin to rack up.
There’s one other factor that bodes well for Necas’ performance. It ties back to playing with MacKinnon.
MacKinnon draws the lion’s share of attention from opposing defenders. That situation creates unique opportunities that may not arise while playing with other linemates.
As such, having MacKinnon draw attention away from Necas allows him to exploit scoring chances he might not otherwise get.
At the end of the day, Martin Necas could very well surpass last year’s totals. In fact, it would even be crazy to think that he might be neck-and-neck with MacKinnon for the team’s scoring lead. While expectations should be tempered, there really isn’t any reason why we should expect a regression for Necas this upcoming season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google