Avalanche's Martin Nečas Ready for Central Division Battles

The Colorado Avalanche look by far and above the rest of the NHL right now. Night after night, they skate teams into exhaustion, overwhelm them with speed, and leave little doubt about who controls the game.

The analytics back it up. Colorado has just two regulation losses, the best goal differential in the league at plus +56 — more than double the second-place Dallas Stars at plus +25 — and they lead the league in goals so far this season.

Colorado’s superiority shows up in every category. They lead the league in shot volume, penalty killing, and discipline, making their lone flaw impossible to miss: a power play stuck near the bottom at 15.7 percent.

Put it all together, and this still feels like a team with another gear left to find.

Dec 2, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Martin Necas (88) controls the puck in the second period against the Vancouver Canucks at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Speed That Breaks Games Open

A huge reason for Colorado’s success is the pace they play with. When Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Nečas, and Cale Makar share the ice, the game tilts quickly — shifts get shorter for opponents, mistakes multiply, and coverage breaks down as defenders struggle to keep up with the Avs.

MacKinnon and Makar, in particular, look like the best forward-defenseman duo in hockey by a wide margin. Both are early favorites for major awards — MacKinnon for the Hart Trophy and Makar for the Norris — and neither has show any signs of slowing down.

mackinnon + necas + makar = not fair pic.twitter.com/ftotvDXxoj
— Liam McHugh (@liam_mchugh) November 21, 2025

Nečas has been the final piece that made the line feel complete. Acquired last season in the deal that sent Mikko Rantanen the other way, Nečas has become Colorado’s answer to filling that massive hole.

Remarkably, the trade has worked for everyone involved — a rare win-win. Nečas has fit seamlessly alongside his new linemates, and that chemistry has helped him climb near the top of the NHL scoring race. He currently sits one point back of fourth overall, trailing Mikko Rantanen — of all people.

Quinn Hughes Raises the Bar

The NHL shifted recently when Quinn Hughes was traded to the Minnesota Wild. Pairing Hughes with Kirill Kaprizov suddenly gives Minnesota a duo capable of pushing even Colorado’s elite group. The Central Division was already brutal. Now, it’s a full-blown nightmare.

Before Colorado’s December 13 game against the Nashville Predators, Nečas was asked about the trade during a pre-game media scrum. His answer caught the reporter a bit off guard.

“Definitely a crazy one, and I think it was kind of expected. There were a lot of rumours that he might be gone, and it’s the way it worked out. Obviously, for a team in our division, it’s going to make our division even better. I think it’s good—there are going to be even better matches against them, and I’m excited.”

Rather than viewing the move as a threat, Nečas framed it as motivation. Better opponents mean better hockey and better tests.

Cale Makar shared a similar sense of excitement about the Quinn Hughes trade, echoing Nečas’ view that tougher in-division competition pushes top teams to raise their level.

Most games played in a season before hitting 2 regulation losses:

37 games — Philadelphia Flyers | 1979/80
25 games — Chicago Blackhawks | 2012/13
24 games — Colorado Avalanche | 2025/26

Philadelphia and Chicago both made the Cup Finals that season. pic.twitter.com/43OztJj0T3
— Big Head Hockey (@bigheadhockey) November 28, 2025

If You Want to Be the Best...

When asked why he welcomed a tougher division, Nečas doubled down.

“Yeah, but if you wanna be the best, you gotta beat the best teams. I feel like right now we’re number one in the league, but there are teams that are right behind us. Last game they got us, and now they get Quinn, so we gotta get even better, even more dialed in. There’s definitely going to be some hard games, but I’m excited for those.”

Add the Mikko Rantanen and Miro Heiskanen duo in Dallas to the mix, and the Central Division suddenly has three of the best forward-defense pairings in hockey. All three teams currently sit inside the NHL’s top four overall — which is wild.

With this much elite talent packed into one division, it’s fair to wonder if this trade becomes the push the league needs to revisit a true 1–8 playoff format. Nobody wants conference-final-caliber matchups in Round 1, or the same series every single spring. If you doubt that, just ask Oilers or Kings fans how they feel.

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