Avalanche's Necas Expected To Get Major Payday

The Colorado Avalanche were having a difference in opinion with Mikko Rantanen last season and traded him to the Carolina Hurricanes for Martin Necas and Jack Drury. This deepened the team and Necas fit in well alongside Nathan MacKinnon. While the Hurricanes and then Dallas Stars got what they wanted, the Avalanche can't drop the ball and not keep Necas after next season, when he is a UFA.

Necas is in for a big payday based on his last three seasons. He put up 11 goals and 28 points in 30 games for the Avalanche after the trade, but it's never easy to fit in and have perfect chemistry immediately. The 26-year-old had 27 goals and 83 points in 79 games overall.

Nick Kypreos reported that "the feeling around the league is that Martin Necas could get $10 million AAV or more on his next deal." This isn't outlandish at all given where the cap is going and some of the other players around that cap hit. He is a powerful skater, great power-play player, offensive player, passer, and can score. Necas can also play center and the wing, but with MacKinnon and Brock Nelson, he can have a bit less responsibility on the wing and thrive.

Rantanen got $12 million AAV, but he has proven more than Necas, though he has gotten a better opportunity on a better offensive team to this point. His numbers in Carolina weren't good while Necas did very well on the more defensive Hurricanes team.

Necas has not been known to disappear in the playoffs either, and the Avalanche are more focused on the extended season since there should never be a problem for them to make the playoffs. Colorado has to keep him and he deserves a big increase in pay. The team has nobody that'll be able to move up into that top-6 role and even come close to matching that production.