The Colorado Avalanche probably need to make a decision on forward Martin Necas soon.

And they’ve been in this position before.

Necas, the key piece of the Mikko Rantanen trade with the Carolina Hurricanes in January, is entering the final year of his contract. He’s due $6.5 million for the 2025-26 season.

Of course, Rantanen was in the last year of his deal, and Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland and president Joe Sakic decided to move him. While the trade was obviously controversial, including Rantanen ending Colorado’s season with a Game 7 hat trick for the Dallas Stars, the Avs didn’t want to risk losing him for nothing.

That could happen again with Necas this year. Colorado probably needs to either extend him or trade him. And the national media is taking notice of this situation, a bit of déjà vu.

NHL insider Frank Seravalli shared some thoughts on Necas on Tuesday. We knew most of this, but clearly MacFarland and Sakic have some big decisions to make when it comes to his future.

The Avalanche are experiencing deja-vu with Martin Necas’ contract situation 😵‍💫

(w/ @frank_seravalli) pic.twitter.com/DuFZvhYeps

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) September 16, 2025

Seravalli calls the Rantanen trade the biggest in the NHL in the last two decades. You’d like to think the Avalanche would lock down Necas, ensuring the blockbuster wasn’t for nothing.

But Seravalli also notes that Necas might command $10 million a year. That seems like a lot for a guy who scored just one goal in seven games of the playoffs last season. He did have four assists in the series with the Stars, and added 11 goals and 17 assists in 30 regular season games with the Avalanche.

However, if the Necas camp wants more than that, Colorado might have to make another deal. Their salary cap situation isn’t exactly great, and another monster extension for superstar defenseman Cale Makar is on the horizon.

This will be perhaps the biggest story of Avalanche training camp, which gets going later this week. And it’s not just local people plugged in on it, but national folks as well.

Stay tuned.