Since he came over to Colorado in a blockbuster swap last season, the burgeoning star has made something of a habit of surpassing expectations. And that will prove key for the Avs on their quest for a second Stanley Cup in five years
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Top 100 NHL Players: #31. Martin Necas – April. 17, 2026 – Vol. 79, Iss. 10 – Ryan Kennedy
POS: C | AGE: 27 | LY: 26
WHEN THE CAROLINA Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche came together for a shock trade last season, the assumption was that, in Mikko Rantanen, Carolina got the best player in the deal. Of course, the Canes ended up trading Rantanen again, sending him to Dallas when things weren’t working out in Raleigh, but even with the big winger wearing Victory Green, the player he was originally dealt for, Martin Necas, has compiled more points since that swap.
Simply put, Necas has been incredible for the Avs, putting up 120 points in his first 100 games and providing a perfect complement to superstar center Nathan MacKinnon. “The hockey we play in Colorado fits my game, and I’m playing with good players there,” Necas said. “Every year and every day, I’m trying to get better. I work hard to be better, and luckily, it’s showing in my game.”
Even being hampered by a lower-body injury early in the season hasn’t stopped Necas from putting up career-best stats. As of late March, he had a shot at hitting 100 points for the first time. “We’re good friends, and we were skating all summer together,” said Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl. “He’s having a great season. It’s because he has such good speed, and he wants the puck. He can fly. You can see guys like MacKinnon and McDavid, that’s why they have so much space, because they fly in and stop on a dot.
“Marty is a great skater, and he’s playing with confidence. Playing with MacKinnon, they’re one of the best duos in the league. I’m always cheering for him.”
That is unless Vegas ends up meeting Colorado in the playoffs, to be sure. But Hertl was happy to cheer on his buddy when they were teammates on the Czech Olympic squad, where Necas was the team’s most dangerous player (no Radko Gudas jokes, please). Heading into the Olympics, it was widely assumed Boston’s David Pastrnak would carry the Czech offense, and while he did finish the tournament with a point per game, it was Necas at the top of the Czech leaderboard with eight points in five games. “I love these moments,” Necas said in Milan. “I love playing in front of a lot of people and being in this position. Finally, it has happened. I’m super happy for that and grateful for these opportunities.”
On top of his speed, Necas also has a wicked shot and has been enjoying a freakishly good success rate this season with a 19.8 shooting percentage. That shot is a great weapon on the power play, as his Czech Olympic teammate Hertl noted, though the Colorado man advantage had been strangely anything but for most of the year. That began to change when Nazem Kadri was reacquired at the trade deadline (Colorado quickly moved out of last place in that category), which means playoff opponents will have to be wary of Necas snipes when they’re on the kill.
On a team featuring MacKinnon and Cale Makar, Necas is never going to be the biggest name on the marquee, but he has proven himself to be a star in his own right and was on pace to finish top 10 in NHL scoring for the first time in his career after landing top 20 last season.
All eyes are going to be on Colorado in the playoffs, as the Avs have been one of the favorites post-to-post. But even then, this is a franchise that has won just a single post-season round since winning the Stanley Cup in 2022. The Central Division alone will be a meat grinder, and the Avs will need all hands on deck to punch their ticket through to the Western Conference final. Luckily, Necas has already been in the spotlight this season thanks to the world’s eyes being on the Olympics. And that spotlight agrees with him. “Yeah,” he said. “I don’t mind it, I must say.”