Jared Bednar STOKED After Avs EXTEND Martin Necas to 8yr, $11.5M AAV Deal

Jared Bednar STOKED After Avs EXTEND Martin Necas to 8yr, $11.5M AAV Deal

Go ahead. How much of a relief is it to have this get done at this time of the year? I I think I like the fact that it’s getting done now. There’s no question. I think it’s just something else off the table that we can just keep concentrating on hockey and probably more so for like Marty than me, you know, like we’re players have things going on in their lives and that can be, you know, distracting at times. It’s, you know, they’re people like anybody else. There’s lots going on. And I think just one thing that if it was weighing on him at all, it certainly hasn’t showed on the ice, but he certainly don’t wanted to get it to that point. So, he wanted to stay. We wanted to have him. And yeah, I’m really glad we were able to get it done. Evan, then Jesse Marty said that the trust is something he hasn’t experienced yet in the NHL. Like, how with an 8-year deal, how much trust do you have in him that this is really just only the beginning? Yeah, lots. Yeah. Age. um the trajectory of his career to this point. um you know he played under a really detailed defensive coach in in RAW did a nice job comes here there’s some like different things that he has to learn expectations and like we all know he’s a you know dynamic offensive player very gifted in his ability to transport the puck from Dzone to Ozone and hang on to it make plays or shoot to score it that’s that’s there on a regular basis but like I’ve liked his commitment on the other side of it most nights. Um, and he’s learning how important it is to to be a really good checker in in the game, especially if he’s going to play up in the lineup like he does with us. And um, he has some freedom to, you know, have some like individual individuality to his game. Um, but still he’s he’s got some responsibilities that he needs to be aware of and and he’s been really good in that regard. So, um I I think we’re seeing what he is as an offensive guy on more nights than not. And that to me that growth of his game and that maturity in his game is only going to keep him sort of building throughout the course of his career here. Jesse then calling. Coach, I know it was a good fit really from from when he showed up, but seeing the way he started this season and now having the full off season, full training camp, how much more comfortable did that make you? Everything you were just saying that he is going to fit and what we saw when he first showed up here last year wasn’t really fluky that that’s kind of how he fits with this room. Yeah, so it was good from day one. No question. Um, but I think the longer you see it, the more sure you’re going to get, right? cuz there are guys that come in and even young guys that come up from the American League saying play really good two three games and you’re remembering that and then it sort of fades away and you know the the the key to this league is being able to play to 85% of your potential on a nightly basis and repeat it and repeat it with the demands of the schedule and and you know like Marty’s not a young player but he is in in some ways still very young and just hitting his prime. So, um, and he’s showed me enough like game to game and week to week and month to month that like this is a sustainable, repeatable production and, you know, a consistency that he can play with and and it’s not a problem for him. Mackenzie Blackwood said he’s feeling good, ready to go. He’s going on the trip, I’m guessing. Um, are you confident that he’s ready to play and and just recovered and Yeah. Yeah. like um physically he’s ready to play, you know, like when it comes to his injury, otherwise he wouldn’t be on with us in full contact and coming on the trip. Um, I haven’t seen a lot of him like even over the course of this time just because of our schedule like the practices he’s jumped in, you know, I’ve been watching other things but and it hasn’t been a lot, you know, so I I’m confident in, you know, the fact that we feel like he’s ready, he feels like he’s ready, and now we got to trust him to go on that and get the job done. Ryan then Ryan. Oh, that was that was my I’ll come up with the other thing. Um, you don’t have to. I just I just um you know, Jackan was just um sent back down to the AHL. What What’s the next move as far as defensive structure? Yeah. Well, he he’s been really good for us. Um, we have six guys here. Um, so it’s a little give and take, I think, with Jack and and Solo right now. Um, smaller, faster team in Jersey. I wanted to put Jackie in because of his training camp, because of what he did through exhibition, you know, basically made our team, but we do have numbers and um so he’s cleared waivers so he has the ability to come up and go down and play. I don’t want him sitting around if he’s not playing cuz when he’s down there, he’s makes a huge impact to to the Eagles success. And I also think like he plays power play, gets lots of puck touches, highminute guy. Um, so I want him to continue to do that so when we need him up here that he’s sharp. Um, this is a bigger team in Vegas. Solo’s also played really well for us and he just missed two games and Jack went in and I’m going to put him in tomorrow night against Vegas. So hence the the flip-flop. um cuz we’re going to need as all these guys at some point during the course of the year. And G’s getting ready to come back. So, um but don’t be surprised if you see him going up and down and playing some games with us and some with them, especially if his game kind of stays the way it’s been, you know, like the last two games against Jersey. He was he was a really good player for us. Ryan Bowling Josh Manson was named Hockey Fights cancer ambassador and obviously he he went through it the last couple years with his mother. just what have you seen from him as he’s navigated that? Have you had conversations with him about? Uh, not really since like shortly after, you know, he ran through it with his mom. You know, obviously our team was heavily involved in that and in support of Josh and um when, you know, this month comes up, you know, there’s there’s um a raised awareness, but we haven’t really talked about that since. Um, but it’s good to see him step up to the forefront and and be an ambassador for it. Obviously, it’s something that a lot of people deal with and he’s in a position to be able to kind of share his story and um, you know, support others that are going through it and that’s what our whole team tries to do and um, so I think it’s a you know, real mature move by him to to get involved in it and kind of be our speaker of the house. Two last ones. Go ahead, Megan. I know Marty played playoff hockey in Carolina, but I imagine your needs from him to play Colorado Avalanche playoff hockey are kind of unique to this group. What did you take away from this series last year in terms of setting expectation from him for playoff hockey? Yeah. Well, it’s kind of what I just touched on like um he hadn’t had the same playoff success as he had in regular season success. And we all know that that’s a a different animal when it comes to the way teams are going to prepare for you and check check you and you’re playing the same team over and over and they’re going to learn things from playing against you. So, there’s a certain, you know, firmness in his game that needs to be there. There’s got, we talk a lot, and you’ve heard me say it about him getting to the inside of the ice and making sure he’s in net presence at times on that line when it calls for it. Um, I like this series though. I think good production, um, physical, especially early on in the series, he showed an ability to play against heavy checking and physicality and he was dishing it back. And when you kind of start seeing that, um, it sort of raises the bar for regular season games, you know, like we’re trying to play and get our team to a spot where we feel like we’re playing playoff hockey and then continue to do that. and and that’s kind of been our motto all the time. You’re preparing for the most difficult time of the year. So, you don’t want things to slide in your game as a team or as an individual. So, I I hold Marty to a high standard, you know, like we’ve had some meetings already this year on things that I didn’t like in just a period or two periods of his game and he’s responded right. So, I’m going to keep doing that with him and our our whole team um to try to get us where our game is dialed in to where we feel comfortable, ready to play playoffs right away. And um like so an example of that would be like we’ve been a really good defensive team through the first 10 games of the year. Our Dzone coverage and the chances we’re giving up in that is tops of the league. um uh four check chances against his tops of the league and we’re middle of the pack in rush coverage. We started out really good and it was a strength of like getting us going offensively and we’ve just been fading and fading. So that was the big meeting today. Like granted Jersey is a really good rush team, a dynamic rush team, but we weren’t as good in those two games versus the rush as we were um in the previous nine. So, we addressed it with our guys today. We went out and worked on in practice and I expected to be changed for tomorrow night. And that’s the same kind of approach we have with the individuals. Other than Tory, uh, you said G was close. So, C was out there too, like I guess how close and with this condensed schedule where you’re not able to practice a lot, is it tougher to kind of get these guys fully ready or do you just have to trust that they’re good to go? You got a little bit of both. Um, so two early games this weekend. Uh we’re bringing everybody. Pop’s going to come on the road. We bring all the medical guys to be able to support those guys in their recovery. Um the team won’t skate. Um so it’s more challenging to get them like game ready when you’re not practicing every day cuz the more practices they get that look like that and if they’re full participation, the better off they’re going to be going into the games. But we don’t have that luxury, right? Um so they but they are going to come on the road. They are going to skate as a small group both days. Get them like involved in like what the team’s doing so they’re around more. And next week we’ll have some good practice time. I’m kind of leaning towards we’ll see how this week goes and see how they get in the practices and if they were able to take contact and all that stuff’s going good. We’re hopeful for next weekend on both possibly, but that might be a little bit premature in in saying that. We just don’t know yet. Cory, finish with Rachel. You mentioned like Marty played in Carolina. They have their thing. You guys have your thing. How much how much have you adapted things at all for him because he’s different than Mo and how much of it is he’s just got to figure out how you guys do things? Yeah, we don’t change our system and our structure for an individual player. But having said that, we want like I understand what Marty is as a player. Um no different than say Kale or Mac. Like they just bring certain things. So they get a little bit more leeway um to read and react and do things the way they see fit. When we talk about it doesn’t mean doesn’t mean we’re not talking about say well if you’re thinking that if something breaks down I need you to do this. you know, um but the responsibilities from the checking side of the game are still kind of like non-negotiable, right? They have more um creativity offensively and I want them to use it. I don’t want to be like this is what we do offensively and that’s it, right? Um, but so nuts and bolts of the system doesn’t change. Some of their fluidity and creativity within the system and individuality is is more I’m more than happy to watch it because I think it’s what makes the game exciting. Looking ahead to the weekend, another weird backtoback with awkward start times, but you’re facing the Vegas Golden Knights. I know you’re on a time crunch here, so give me your your three keys to beating the Golden Knights. Well, I haven’t watched a lot of them yet. I’ll just start that now after breaking down that last game, but it’s the top team in the league, right? Uh win percentage-wise, I think they might be first right now. Uh deep team checks hard, big physical, they can provide some challenges uh for you. It’s going to be about limiting mistakes number one. Um the big mistake, you’re going to have to be really focused shift to shift and um making sure that our checking game’s in order. I we haven’t run into a team where we haven’t been able to create um enough offense to win games yet. Um they’ll they’ll be a challenge with that tomorrow night. And I think special teams will probably play a big factor if if everything’s close and equal and teams are kind of, you know, suppressing chances the way they have been. Um and it’s tough to score. Special teams will be a factor in it. Thank you. Thanks. I appreciate.

Jared Bednar Press Conference After Colorado Avalanche Practice where Martin Necas Signed a $11.5 Million Extention with the Colorado Avalanche

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