Renck: Avs’ deal with Martin Necas is easy to evaluate: The payoff must come in playoffs

Marty took the money Mikko wouldn’t. Now he must deliver what Mikko couldn’t. Martin Necas needs to help the Avs win another Stanley Cup. Otherwise, Thursday’s decision to extend his contract will be viewed as a disappointment. Necas will forever be connected to Mikko Rantanen. He was the central figure acquired when the Avs shipped Rantanen to Carolina last January. The Avs will tell you they also added depth and created financial flexibility with draft picks. Let’s get real. They traded a top-10 winger for a top-15 winger. Necas is not as good as Rantanen. But if he’s 90% of the Moose, he can be a 100-point scorer playing alongside Nathan MacKinnon. There is real value in this type of production. But when looking at the contract — eight years, $92 million — the Avs did not save much more money than if they had just kept Rantanen. They offered him $11.6 million annually, and he likely would have taken $12 or $12.5 million. By all accounts, he and his agent figured they had more time for back-and-forth, not believing the Avs would move well before the trade deadline. His rigidity forced them to act quickly. So, they made the best trade available, centering on Necas. There was a sense when training camp opened that a deal would get done, lest the Avs look misled or they miscalculated. And if not Necas, then whom? The alternatives were not great. A copy of a copy of a copy is what they were staring at if they tried to pull off another blockbuster. General manager Chris MacFarland basically admitted as much in explaining why they identified Necas as a core player moving forward. “I think he’s an electric top-line winger who is 26 turning 27 years old, and they are hard to find. They are hard to acquire. You have to draft them or it’s a steep price to get whether in free agency or trade,” MacFarland said. “The fit has been really good. His speed, his skill, his talent blends in really well here, but it would blend in really well anywhere.” While the Twitter echo chamber screamed that the Avs overpaid, folks in the industry believe he could have exceeded $11.5 million per season as an unrestricted free agent. The salary cap is going up. And it only takes one team to reset the market. Again, the lingering question remains: Why not just pay Rantanen? His playoff resume reads like a great book. Necas’ is a pamphlet. Related Articles Renck: Thank you, DeMeco Ryans for going to Houston. Broncos would not be contender again without Sean Payton Renck vs. Keeler: Can Broncos extend win streak at Houston without Pat Surtain II? Renck: With this version of Bo Nix, the extraordinary seems possible for Broncos Renck: Blame Sean Payton’s play-calling if you must, but truth is Bo Nix needs to play better Renck & File: Why Cam Johnson needs to assert fit in Nuggets offense First, it takes two sides to strike a deal. And the Avs became convinced they could not find the sweet spot with Rantanen. The timing also matters. Had the Avs kept Rantanen, his new contract would have counted $12 million on the books this season. Necas comes in at $6.5 million. This difference made it possible to retain Brock Nelson and sign Brent Burns without invasive surgery on the roster. The when mattered. But the why is all Avs fans care about. The only way this deal makes sense or cents is if Necas delivers when it matters most. After all the smiles faded on Thursday, there was a reality check. Necas is about to face pressure he has never encountered. The kind of heat he likely felt when walking off the charter in Las Vegas for Friday’s game. If Necas is going to be viewed favorably as an Avs legend, he must assist in the Avs winning another championship sometime in the next few seasons. One is not enough for this core, with this talent. It might not sound fair. But this is the responsibility that comes with taking massive money as a member of a great team. Individual honors are cool, but the only way that Necas wins over the faithful and cements his legacy is with a Stanley Cup hoisted above his head. The challenge is real. Since joining the Avs, Necas has averaged a point per game (he has 13 in 11 this season). In the postseason, however, he has been half the player, netting 43 points in 82 games. He had five points and one goal in seven games against Dallas last spring, compared to 12 points and five goals for the Stars’ Rantanen. You see the problem? And the gap that must be bridged? “He hasn’t had the same playoff success as he has had in the regular season,” coach Jared Bednar said. “We all know that is a different animal in ways the opponent prepares for you and checks you. There is certainly a firmness that needs to be there and making sure he gets to the inside of the ice and being a net presence when it calls for it. I liked his series (against Dallas). Good production.” Bednar believes Necas has a higher ceiling, that the arrow is pointing up. He can be more physical, more assertive. Those are things that the Avs want to see in the postseason. “I hold Marty to a high standard. We have had some meetings already this year on things I didn’t like in a period or two in his game, and he has responded. I am going to keep doing that with him, and the whole team,” Bednar said. “We need to get to where we are dialed in so we feel like we are ready to go in the playoffs right away.” Necas is a good player. This contract is a fair deal. It also pushes the chips to the center of the table for the Avs, raising the expectations that it will work. Check that. It must work. Or the Marty Party will be remembered as a buzz kill. Want more Avalanche news? Sign up for the Avalanche Insider to get all our NHL analysis.