The Colorado Avalanche shockingly traded a top-10 player in franchise history in Mikko Rantanen, and the biggest part of the return was forward Martin Necas.
When that all went down in January, fans were surprised the Avs and Rantanen couldn’t work out a contract extension, especially with six weeks to go before the NHL trade deadline.
But Necas and Jack Drury, along with a slew of other trades by GM Chris MacFarland, were the replacements for Rantanen.
By now you know Rantanen was traded from the Carolina Hurricanes to the Dallas Stars — and ended the Avalanche’s season in Round 1 of the playoffs with a third period hat trick. It was a brutal way to go out, especially in a series where Martin Necas had one goal and five total points. Rantanen had five goals and seven assists against his former team in seven games.
Necas still has one year left on a contract that will pay him $6.5 million next season. However, are we sure that’s going to be in an Avs sweater?
Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos came out with a list of NHL players to watch as potential trade candidates this offseason, and Necas made the list. What’s even more surprising is part of what Kypreos put in his article:
After the Avalanche moved Rantanen because of how difficult they perceived contract extension talks to be going, how much patience will they have with Necas — not a homegrown player or superstar talent — if negotiations on an extension start slowly this July? There was a sense Necas wasn’t overly thrilled with his experience in Colorado and that he wants to explore other options.
The fact Martin Necas “wasn’t overly thrilled” during his time with the Avalanche is concerning. The fanbase could say the same after his underwhelming playoff performance.
Trading Rantanen was a big, big deal. If the prize that MacFarland got in return is already unhappy, then it makes sense to explore a Necas move this summer. Hopefully the Avalanche could get someone back who appreciates playing with the likes of Nathan MacKinnon and delivers in the postseason. That is if the report from Kypreos is indeed accurate.
But between this, and the uncertain future of second-line center Brock Nelson, there’s a lot to watch in what could wind up being a busy offseason for the Avs.
