The Key Role 2 Teammates Played in Necas’ Deal with Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche made a statement this week by signing Martin Necas to an eight-year, $11.5 million extension. It was a good deal for the Avalanche, and a bit of a surprising one considering it wasn’t that long ago the Avs walked away from Mikko Rantanen over nearly the same amount of money. However, this time, Colorado got the memo on a changing NHL landscape, and the deal boiled down to two key influences: Gabriel Landeskog and Cale Makar.

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Necas, fresh off a career-high 83-point season, wanted to ensure he was committing to a stable and competitive environment. Sources indicate that Landeskog’s return as the full-time captain played a major role in the forward’s decision. “Landeskog runs the show. He’s respected and effective, and his presence lifts everyone around him. That was huge for Necas,” Elliotte Friedman said on Friday’s 32 Thoughts podcast.

The second factor was the upcoming negotiations with superstar defenseman Cale Makar.

Friedman believes the Necas deal offers some cost certainty and flexibility for future negotiations, particularly for Makar, whose own extension is looming. Suggesting the Avs know this is going to be a huge deal, they want to plant a seed in talks with Makar that he’s going to need to work with them on an extension. Knowing they have MacKinnon, Necas, Landeskog and others locked in, they can talk to Makar about what his extension might look like, working the angle that they know he deserves more, but in Colorado, there’s a structure happening that makes sense to build a contender.

Can Necas Be One Of The Cornerstones That Gets Makar Signed?

Strategically, the Avalanche view Necas as a cornerstone behind MacKinnon and Makar. Now that he’s on board, Colorado can take their time and talk to Makar at a pace that works. The team has their leader in Landeskog back, two stars in MacKinnon and Necas, and the hope, says Friedman, is that the Makar deal will come in under the price the Minnesota Wild paid for Kirill Kaprizov.

From Necas’ perspective, staying in Denver meant security and trust in a player who said he didn’t really know what that felt like. He has a chance to win, and the opportunity to play alongside some of the league’s elite talent. “He’s committed to a winning environment and a strong core. That was what mattered most,” Friedman noted.

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