The market for 2026 NHL free agency was already limited, but the Colorado Avalanche’s latest move just made it even shorter. In a contract extension that no one saw coming, they just re-signed center Martin Necas to an eight-year deal.
The move was greeted with some mixed reactions since reports suggested that the team was willing to let go of Necas to make room for Cale Makar.
The terms of the deal have left the fans confused, and some are also complaining that the Avalanche locked in the wrong player.
Why Are Avalanche Fans Not Happy With Martin Necas’s Contract Extension?
Since the start of the season, rumors suggested that with both Necas and Makar on the cusp of free agency, the Avalanche would let go of Necas in favor of Makar. As it turns out, Colorado found a way to make things work after all.
Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the deal, tweeting, “The Colorado Avalanche and Martin Necas completed an 8-year, $11.5M contract extension. Another UFA off the board… front-loaded, $60M in signing bonuses, full NMC the first 7 years of the new deal.”
However, Friedman also pointed out that at $11.5 million for eight years ($92 million in all), Necas’s new deal will cost Colorado just $500,000 less per year than former winger Mikko Rantanen.
Rantanen signed with the Dallas Stars on an eight-year, $96 million deal. Avs fans took to social media to make their feelings clear on the comparison.
Way too much coin. Holy hell should’ve just paid Mika , man.
— Langs 🇨🇦 (@Langerangs) October 30, 2025
At an AAV of $12 million, this wasn’t enough to justify letting go of the Finnish star, and Colorado fans didn’t let it slide either. Some fans straight-up pointed out that the Avalanche overpaid, as they tweeted, “Way too much coin. Holy hell, should’ve just paid Mika [Mikko Rantanen], man.”
Others mirrored this fact, as one fan posted, “But couldn’t give Mikko 12.5 smhhh.”
To them, this was a hasty move by the Avalanche simply because Necas started the season on fire. One fan simply wrote, “Should have just signed Rantanen.”
But couldn’t give Mikko 12.5 smhhh
— NYI (@NYeIserman) October 30, 2025
Others, meanwhile, made it clear that Colorado made the wrong decision just to save some money. They tweeted, “Why have Mikko Rantanen at 13M when you can have a worse player for 11.5M?”
Why have Mikko Rantanen at 13M when you can have a worse player for 11.5M https://t.co/m2PVjD4AYd
— LNG 🍉 (@NotLeafsNeedGod) October 30, 2025
Ironically, Necas came to Colorado after Rantanen was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes back in January 2025.
Meanwhile, some fans pointed out how Rantanen was the better hockey player. They mentioned, “11.5 for this crybaby but wouldn’t go to 12 or 12.5 for Rantanen lmfao.” But while things continue to heat up in Colorado, this move makes 2026 free agency even more bleak.
Martin Necas’s $92M Contract Bad News For 2026 Free Agency List
The 2026 NHL Free Agency Class was expected to be a star-studded one, but the minute Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, and Kirill Kaprizov inked contract extensions, those hopes were smoke.
The class that was expected to yield Stanley Cup-winning firepower has now essentially dwindled to Alex Ovechkin (who may or may not retire), Alex Tuch (who could force the Sabres’ hand into a mega-million extension), Adrian Kempe (who has the Los Angeles Kings over a barrel), and Jason Robertson.
The soonest teams can even dream about courting McDavid is in the middle of 2027, given his extension runs out the very next year. But who knows where the Oilers will be two years down the line?
What we do know is that the Avs have just one job left, and that is to ink Cale Makar to a sensible extension.
