And like most meaningful development, it didn’t happen overnight. For much of his career, Nečas had been a distributor. But over time, Bednar recognized something more—untapped potential as a dynamic scorer. The transition wasn’t a reinvention so much as a refinement.

The results didn’t come right away. Nečas, at times, still struggled with overhandling the puck, making unnecessary passes when the higher-percentage play was to shoot. Bednar’s patience was tested, and there were ongoing conversations to keep Nečas on track—but he responded.

“(He’s) got to make himself more of a shooter and have a shot mentality,” Bednar said of Nečas in November. “Last year, for me, he passed it off too much. I see Marty as a dynamic goal scorer more than a playmaker, so I want him to use it. He’s got a great shot and he gets into the right areas. I think he’s got to shoot to score and become a goal scorer for us.”

Last season, split between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Colorado Avalanche, Nečas recorded 27 goals and 56 assists for 83 points.

Those numbers were good—but like any elite coach, Bednar looked beyond production. He saw another level still waiting to be unlocked.

“I want him to continue to be creative; I want him to continue to use his skill and his instincts, but I want to kind of change him a little bit so that, when he does use all that, he gets into the interior of the ice and into areas where I think he can score. Then I want him to shoot it.”

The Marty Party has been rocking in the playoffs thus far. Credit: Ron Chenoy - Imagn Images

That evolution didn’t just take shape—it produced results.

Eighty-three points? He pushed it to 100 for the first time in his career, posting career highs in goals (38) and assists (62). Sure, playing with Nathan MacKinnon—arguably one of the best players in the world—doesn’t hurt. But you still have to play the game. MacKinnon can’t skate for Nečas, and Nečas can’t carry MacKinnon on his back, either.

And while Bednar didn’t exactly give Nečas an ultimatum, he made the expectations clear: trust would determine opportunity.

"It's one of the talks we had when he got here, and a handful of times after that," Bednar revealed. "If you're going to play with Nate and go up against the opposition's best guys every night, I’ve got to be able to trust you. Otherwise, you can’t play there—no matter how good you are offensively."

"He buys into that," Bednar continued. "The style, the players he plays with, it's important that he's on (the first line) because he helps them a lot and his game has grown. I think those criticisms now are invalid."

Jared Bednar in what appears to be a tense coaching moment with Martin Necas earlier in the season. Credit: Ron Chenoy Imagn Images

This lit a fire under Nečas, who told The Hockey News in December—the same morning he signed an eight-year, $92 million contract extension to remain with the Avalanche—that Nathan MacKinnon was one of the players he had long modeled his game after earlier in his career.

“You know, it’s no secret (that I’ve looked up to him.),” Nečas said. “When I was in Carolina, I looked up to the best players in the league — he’s one of them — so I was trying to modify my game to play a little bit like him and at a high pace. Now we’re playing together, so it’s fun.”

Answering The Playoff Question

But let’s be honest—Colorado Avalanche fans aren’t easy to satisfy. Scoring in the regular season is one thing, but in Denver, the question always lingers: what happens in the playoffs?

That followed Nečas all year. The production was there, the eye test was undeniable—but until he delivered in the postseason, skepticism remained. His track record in Carolina wasn’t exactly dominant, and fair or not, that reputation stuck.

So far, he’s answering it.

Through six postseason games, Nečas has recorded seven points, with one goal and six assists. In his previous playoff runs with the Hurricanes—and even last season—he had never produced at a point-per-game pace. Now, he is.

And in doing so, he’s becoming exactly what Bednar envisioned from the start: not just a playmaker, but a game-breaker—one capable of dictating pace, attacking space, and swinging a series when it matters most.

Image