NHL analyst blatantly advises Avalanche to 'back up the Brink’s truck' for $13,000,000 superstar entering contract year

Colorado Avalanche forward Martin Necas has been eligible to sign an extension for nearly four months now. He is in the final year of his two-year, $13 million contract, paying him $6.5 million annually. If he does not ink a new deal before July 1 next year, he will be an unrestricted free agent.

The Athletic's Harman Dayal and Shayna Goldman discussed Necas' future in their Thursday column. They said Colorado should be ready to pay him a large salary to keep him long-term.

"Martin Necas is about to get the bag," Dayal and Goldman wrote on Thursday. "With Connor McDavid, Kirill Kaprizov, Jack Eichel, and Kyle Connor recently re-signing with their respective teams, the 2026 free-agent market already looks a lot thinner on star talent. "That’s excellent leverage for Martin Necas, ...and it’s supercharged even further with the electric start he’s had to the season... Colorado better be ready to back up the Brink’s truck for Necas this summer,"

Necas has three goals and six assists so far, ranking near the top in league scoring. His +7 rating shows his strong two-way play early in the season. He has fit in well with Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche’s top line. Necas looks confident and has adjusted quickly to his new team after joining Colorado in a three-team trade in January 2025.

Last season, Necas set a career high with 83 points. And his continued progress makes him one of the top free agents next summer. With several top stars already re-signed elsewhere, Necas holds strong leverage in contract talks. The Avalanche will soon need to decide how much they are willing to pay.

Darren Dreger's comment on Avalanche's Martin Necas

Earlier this month, TSN insider Darren Dreger said Kirill Kaprizov’s new contract is changing how NHL players view their value. Kaprizov signed an eight-year, $136 million deal with the Minnesota Wild starting in 2026-27. Dreger said this deal will influence players like Martin Necas, who are in contract years.

"Maybe if you're Martin Necas and you don't have the same level of history, you aim for the fence," Dreger said on The Insider Hotline. "That's what Kaprizov did with the Minnesota Wild."

Now, it will be up to the Avalanche to negotiate with Necas. Last season, they lost in the first round of the playoffs after finishing with a 49-29-4 record. They have won only one series since their 2022 Stanley Cup win. So, this season, they are looking to change that and have already won four of the five games for 9 points.

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Edited by Ankit Kumar