One of Marty Necas’s biggest doubters has finally come around

Losing members of a championship core is never easy. When a team chooses to trade one away during a contract standoff, it breaks some hearts and confuses even more.

That’s exactly what happened on January 24, 2025, when the Colorado Avalanche sent star winger Mikko Rantanen to Carolina in exchange for Jack Drury, a 2025 second‑round pick, a 2026 fourth‑round pick and, of course, Martin Necas.

At the time, Drury was largely unknown. Necas carried a reputation as a strong regular‑season player who disappeared in the postseason.

For a team with Stanley Cup expectations, moving on from a proven playoff performer like Rantanen felt baffling. Necas’s early flashes in Colorado were promising, but the season’s ending left the loudest echo: the Avs fell to the Dallas Stars in Round 1 — a Stars team that had just acquired Rantanen after his brief stop in Carolina.

DenverSports.com’s Will Petersen had been the loudest voice pushing back against the Rantanen trade. He emphasized how vital Rantanen was to that year’s team, how his presence could’ve changed the playoff run and if it ended with a Stanley Cup both parties could have parted ways on good terms. When Rantanen later ended the Avs’ season with a Game 7 hat trick — after being acquired by Dallas — it only poured gasoline on Petersen’s frustration.

Had Chris MacFarland made a mistake? Could Marty Necas ever live up to Rantanen’s impact? Through half a season and one playoff round, Petersen was convinced the Avalanche had blown it. On a Thursday edition of “The Drive with Zach Bye and Phillip Lindsay,” Bye was wondering if his cohost, Petersen had finally come around on Necas?

Going into the year, Marty Necas was going to be under a microscope — and he delivered. He put up a 100‑point season with 38 goals and 62 assists, growing more comfortable in his role and becoming an offensive engine in his own right. But even that wasn’t enough to sway the cold heart of Will Petersen. If Necas was going to win him over, it had to happen in the playoffs.

Through nine postseason games, Necas has been sensational, scoring once and adding 10 assists. And after an emotional 3–0 comeback last night that forced overtime, the Avalanche needed a hero. Bret Kulak buried the game‑winner to send Colorado to the Western Conference Final — but the setup came from Martin Necas.

“Necas did incredible,” Will said, pausing as Zach Bye’s eyes widened. “In fact, I’m willing to admit the Avalanche won the Mikko trade.”

It took more than a year of arguing, but Necas finally thawed Petersen’s skepticism and made him bow to a player who has proven he’s worth far more than he expected.

The Avs are now officially halfway to the Stanley Cup. Eight more wins stand between them and the goal this team has chased every year since lifting the trophy in 2022. And with Marty Necas playing at this level alongside Nathan MacKinnon, it suddenly feels like destiny is pulling Colorado toward another championship run.

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