Martin Necas has played 11 games for the Colorado Avalanche since being acquired in a blockbuster deal with the Carolina Hurricanes back on January 24 — and the 26-year-old has already managed 12 points. He was a catalyst in a 5-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night, adding three more assists and continuing to fit like a glove in Denver.
“It's definitely working for my game,” Necas said of playing for Colorado, per NHL.com's Derek Van Diest. “They're a puck-possession team, one of the best in the League for sure, along with Edmonton, I would say. It's just fun to play with these guys, they're great and it's been a real pleasure to play with these guys.”
Necas has been terrific on the top line alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Artturi Lehkonen, and has also found a home on the top powerplay unit. As a career season continues for the Czech forward, he admitted he didn't see the trade coming.
“Nobody expected it, especially at that time of year. There weren't a lot of trades really happening then,” Necas said, per Van Diest. “When I saw it on social media that Carolina was acquiring Mikko Rantanen, I thought, ‘Oh boy, I'm probably coming here.'”
While Necas has been excellent on his new team, Rantanen has managed just three points over eight games with the Hurricanes. Both players are now at 67 points on the 2024-25 campaign, tied for eighth league-wide.
Necas has undoubtedly been a terrific fit in Colorado — and his teammates are taking notice.
“He's a great guy, an awesome guy,” MacKinnon told Van Diest. “I heard nothing but great things when he got traded here. I heard how high his ceiling could be, and we've seen it here with how talented he is and how good of a player he is. Him and [Jack Drury] are great fits.
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“I think we have a similar style of game. We both like to carry it off the rush, we're both righties. I think we think both similar, so we can imagine where each other would be on the ice, so it's a lot of fun. He's a dynamic player, he's amazing, and it's been good so far.”
Avalanche well-positioned for stretch run
After a dominant win over the Devils on home ice on Wednesday night, the Avalanche have improved to 34-24-2. They've won six of 10 dating back to January 26 and now sit just two points back of the Minnesota Wild for third place in the Central Division.
Currently occupying the top wildcard berth in the Western Conference, the Avs will almost certainly not catch the Winnipeg Jets, who have won a franchise-best 11 games in a row. But now just six points back of the Dallas Stars, the Avs could leapfrog one of those teams in their quest to finish top-three in the division for a sixth straight year.
And Necas' excellent play has been a huge reason why Colorado should again have no trouble advancing to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025. He'll look to keep the good times rolling when the Avalanche welcome the Wild to Ball Arena on Friday night.
