Colorado Avalanche Facing Ultimatum With Star Winger as he Enters Last Year of his Deal

Last season, the Colorado Avalanche made the surprise decision to trade Mikko Rantanen before potentially extending him, and the key piece they received in the deal was winger Martin Necas from the Carolina Hurricanes.

In 30 games with Colorado, the 26-year old had a solid 11 goals and 28 points, replicating the production that Rantanen had alongside Nathan MacKinnon, but now, the team need to make a big decision on his future.

According to recent reports, Necas potentially believes he could get $10 million or more a season on the open market, and if that is the case, Colorado could be best suited to move him now, especially before the Olympic break where a player can get settled and comfortable in his new surroundings.

On one hand, it would be a strange move to deal the central piece of the Mikko Rantanen deal, but on the other hand, with the team needing to pay Cale Makar after this season is over, saving as much money as possible could be the best possible move.

However, to make that easy, they would need to move Necas for a young, inexpensive piece, and while he was productive with the Avalanche and Hurricanes a year ago, not many teams will be lining up to pay him $10 million or more after the 2025/26 season concludes.

Ultimately, the Avalanche have a big decision to make, and after seeing Necas be incredibly productive alongside Nathan MacKinnon, paying him long-term may be the best choice, but if they know he wants more than they can give him on the open market, trading him for whatever return they can get is the move to make.