Martin Necas had a breakout season with the Colorado Avalanche, achieving 100 points and contributing significantly in the playoffs. He has become a key player alongside Nathan MacKinnon and has embraced his role in the locker room.
For that, Necas credits the advice of coach Jared Bednar, who told him to focus on getting into the middle of the ice more once he's inside the offensive zone. Of his 206 shots, 54 were from the high-danger zone in front of the net, according to NHL research. “That really helped me, what Bedsy kind of taught me,” Necas said. “Not just to play on the outside, but be more on the inside.” Another area of emphasis was defense. Bednar has been stressing that over and over, given that Necas, MacKinnon and fellow linemate frequently go against some of the top players on opposing teams. “He’s put in a lot of hard work to be a trusted player defensively,” Bednar said. “He buys into that. His game has grown.”
Martin Necas scored 38 goals and provided 62 assists, totaling 100 points in 78 games.
In the current playoffs, Martin Necas has recorded one goal and six assists through six games.
Martin Necas became only the third Czech player in NHL history to achieve 100 points in a season, joining Jaromir Jagr and David Pastrnak.
Martin Necas signed an eight-year contract extension worth $92 million, which will take effect next season.
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Necas became only the third Czech player in NHL history to notch 100 points in a season, joining Jaromir Jagr (five times) and David Pastrnak (four). Necas got stronger as the season went along, too, scoring 16 goals in 26 games following his return from the Olympics. About his No. 88 sweater — it's a nod to the player he idolized as a kid, Alex Ovechkin, who wears No. 8. When Necas was a teenager and a player in the Czech league, that number was taken. “So I just doubled up,” said Necas, the 12th overall pick by Carolina in 2017. About playing alongside MacKinnon, he labeled it as “great," because “he's one of the best players in the world," he said. But it's also a challenge. “We play with a lot of pace, so obviously you've got to think quick,” Necas said. "Once we built a chemistry, it’s way nicer and way easier to know where each other are.” MacKinnon concurs. “He's been unreal this season,” he said.
Last season, Necas had a so-so postseason with one goal and four assists in a first-round series loss to the Stars. His so-so production, though, was only magnified by what Rantanen did on the ice in that series — five goals and seven assists, including a hat trick in Game 7. Necas went to work in the gym over the summer, focusing on exercises to make him more explosive on the ice. He increased his fitness level as well. “Because you don’t want to peak in the first period and then slow down,” said the 27-year-old Necas, who has a goal and six assists through six playoff games this season. The Avalanche signed Necas in October to an eight-year contract extension through 2034 and worth $92 million. When his contract kicks in next season, Necas will count $11.5 million against the salary cap annually, about $500,000 a year less than what Rantanen signed for with rival Dallas. Necas knows this will be his hockey home, and MacKinnon & Co. his teammates, for years. It's peace of mind. “Last year, I didn’t really count it as a year here, because it was so new and so different,” Necas said. “But this year, coming into the camp, everything felt right. It really felt like this is my home. It's always nicer to play that way.” Case in point — the jokes on Landeskog, his locker-room neighbor at Ball Arena. “What can I say about getting to know Marty this year? The answer is right there,” Landeskog said, pointing at his shoe that was the target of some friendly hijinks. "I don’t know how I’m going to retie this shoe now. So that’s what he spent his morning doing. “I love Marty. Love him as a teammate, love him as an overall friend but also as a competitor.” \\\_ AP NHL playoffs: and