Martin Necas' Beautiful Assist Earns First Point With Avalanche

Martin Necas has quickly settled in with the Colorado Avalanche and recorded his first points with the organization.

Jan 17, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Martin Necas (88) goes past the fans for the warmups before the game against the Vegas Golden Knights at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images / James Guillory-Imagn Images

One of the best things about a set of back-to-back games is turning the page quickly, and the Colorado Avalanche got the chance to do so at the perfect time. Immediately after trading superstar winger Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes, the Avs weekend schedule included two games in 24 hours against the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers.

For new Avalanche forward Martin Necas, the centerpiece of Colorado's return for Rantanen, looked a bit lost in his team debut against the Bruins. But just one period in to his second game, and Necas is showing why he was an early season candidate for MVP and has been a leading scorer in Carolina for the past two seasons. He made a fantastic play to help give his new team a 2-0 lead early in the game, and it also happened to be his first point in an Avalanche uniform.

Necas has been skating on a wing with Nathan MacKinnon, the league's leading scorer, and winger Jonathan Drouin. The trio is quickly finding chemistry and combined for a beautiful goal. Drouin kicked off the play by moving the puck up ice in the neutral zone to MacKinnon. He attempted to gain the zone but lost his footing and fell to the ice, but was able to get a pass off towards the center of the ice before losing control.

That's where Necas stepped up and corralled the puck. He skated towards the goal and seemingly using the eyes in the back of his head, he made a behind the back drop pass for defenseman Cale Makar. Makar rocketed the puck behind Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin. The Avs had a 2-0 lead, and Necas had his 40th assist of the season.

Who is it?#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/EUEoHYETJq

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) January 26, 2025

Not only was it a beautiful play, it was a sign of Necas settling in and using his skillset. He's less in his head and he's relying on his high offensive IQ and innate playmaking. The results speak for themselves, and Necas is fitting into the Avs' lineup nicely in his second game.

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