The Colorado Avalanche stunned the hockey community when they dealt Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes just months before last season’s trade deadline.
The move caught everyone off guard — even Rantanen, who had always hoped to remain in Colorado.
Even so, general manager Chris MacFarland believed the trade would bolster the team’s depth, landing two quality players — one of them being Martin Necas, who the Avalanche view as a rising star.
Necas, 26, delivered strong production in his first 30 games with Colorado, but with his contract set to expire, the team could soon find itself in a similar predicament to the one it faced with Rantanen a year earlier.
According to NHL insider Frank Seravalli, the big question now is what Necas’ long-term future in Colorado will look like.
“I’m really intrigued by what happens with Marty Necas and the Avalanche, because it feels like déjà vu,” Seravalli said. “This is the exact position they were in a year ago with Mikko Rantanen. They didn’t want to give him the money he was due, and he ended up being dealt well before the trade deadline in January. Now, they’ve got Necas from that trade — he’s producing at better than a point per game — and he’s looking for a big payday. What kind of number are we talking about here? How close does it come to the deal Rantanen was chasing?”
“If Necas keeps up a point-per-game pace, you’re easily looking at him in the \$10 million per year range,” Seravalli continued. “That basically puts Colorado right back at square one. It’s a really tough spot for Chris MacFarland and the Avalanche to navigate.”
Necas is entering the final year of the two-year, $13 million deal he signed with Carolina in 2024.
How much is he really worth?
There’s no doubt Necas is a strong player and will command a raise from his current $6.5 million AAV. Still, pushing north of $10 million per year is a steep ask.
Yes, he broke out with a point-per-game season in 2024–25, but it was the first time he had ever reached that level of production in his six NHL seasons. Prior to that, he hadn’t come particularly close, which raises the concern: was last year an anomaly?
Seravalli also pointed out that Colorado likely could have locked up Rantanen for under $12 million annually on an eight-year pact — a move that, in hindsight, would have been a massive bargain compared to what Necas is asking now.
The Avalanche’s plan in moving Rantanen was to free up cap space and use it to build a deeper roster. Instead, they might end up shelling out nearly the same money — but for a player who isn’t on Rantanen’s level.