Avalanche’s Martin Nečas denies reports of unhappiness

One of the Avalanche’s most pressing offseason uncertainties has been put to rest: Martin Nečas himself has made it clear he is happy in Colorado.

In early June, longtime insider Nick Kypreos suggested that Nečas had not been entirely content with his first season as a member of the Colorado Avalanche. The report quickly drew pushback from portions of the media, with several voices flatly rejecting the idea. Yet through all the speculation and rebuttals, one perspective remained conspicuously missing—Nečas’s own.

For the first time, Nečas has publicly confronted the circulating rumors. While he acknowledged that a third party had inquired about the matter, he categorically denied the rumor.

This isn’t the first time that Kypreos’ reporting has been called into question or debunked. But the fact that Nečas didn’t respond to the rumor for several months fueled the belief that Nečas was in fact unhappy in Colorado when the exact opposite was the case.

What Does This Mean?

With the rumor now refuted, one potential concern has been removed from the Avalanche’s radar. Offering a contract extension to a discontented player would have made little sense. By contrast, as observed during the optional skates and training camp, Nečas was skating like a player genuinely content with his situation—a reassuring sign for Colorado. It was clear that his focus remains on playing hockey and that he shares a strong rapport with his teammates, particularly Brent Burns, with whom he previously played on the Carolina Hurricanes. His composed and engaged demeanor stood in stark contrast to Matt Duchene, who arrived at his final Avalanche training camp looking as though he had just auditioned for a role on that Wednesday Netflix show with Jenna Ortega—and left his smile at home.

This doesn’t necessarily make things easier for the Avalanche, as they likely knew well in advance that the rumors were false. What’s surprising is that it took months to address them—or perhaps that delay was intentional until Nečas met with the media.

Colorado has learned lessons over the past year, and they’re certainly not looking to repeat a situation like Mikko Rantanen’s. Nečas was a major piece of that return. Since joining the Avalanche in January, he posted 28 points in 30 games, including 11 goals and 17 assists. Over the full season, combining his time with the Hurricanes and Avalanche, he finished in the top 20 in league scoring with 83 points (27 goals, 56 assists).

Nečas, who scored three points (one goal, two assists) in Colorado’s 3-2 preseason victory over the Utah Mammoth on Sunday night at Ball Arena, seems genuinely happy to be in Colorado. Parker Kelly even noted in a recent interview that not having a looming contract extension has helped him focus solely on playing hockey. And if the extension is a concern for Nečas, he’s certainly not showing it on the ice. The sooner Colorado can get that extension finalized, the better. But it will undoubtedly cost a pretty penny and gets more expensive by the minute.

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