Martin Necas is making himself right at home in Colorado—even if that means messing with his captain's shoelaces.
Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog walked into the locker room recently to find his shoe restrung backwards. He didn't need a detective to solve that mystery. "Necas," Landeskog said with a knowing smile.
The Czech forward's pranks are just one sign of how comfortable he's become since arriving in a blockbuster January 2025 trade that sent fan favorite Mikko Rantanen to Carolina (Rantanen now plays for Dallas). But it's Necas's on-ice performance that's really turning heads.
Skating alongside superstar center Nathan MacKinnon, Necas has exploded into a bona fide star. His first 100-point regular season—38 goals and 62 assists in 78 games—announced his arrival as one of the league's most dangerous offensive threats.
"He's been huge for us all year," said Landeskog, whose Avalanche lead the Minnesota Wild 2-0 heading into Game 3 of their second-round playoff series Saturday. "He's been super consistent, dynamic, and dangerous."
The secret to Necas's breakout? A simple adjustment from coach Jared Bednar: get to the middle of the ice. Instead of staying on the perimeter, Necas started attacking the high-danger areas in front of the net. Of his 206 shots this season, 54 came from that prime scoring territory.
"That really helped me—what Bedsy kind of taught me," Necas explained. "Not just to play on the outside, but be more on the inside."
Defensive responsibility has been another focus. With Necas, MacKinnon, and Artturi Lehkonen often matched against opponents' top lines, Bednar has demanded two-way commitment.
"He's put in a lot of hard work to be a trusted player defensively," Bednar said. "He buys into that. His game has grown."
The numbers tell the story: Necas became only the third Czech player in NHL history to reach 100 points in a season, joining legends Jaromir Jagr (five times) and David Pastrnak (four times). He got even stronger down the stretch, scoring 16 goals in 26 games after returning from the Olympics.
Whether he's wearing his No. 88 sweater or pulling locker-room pranks, Martin Necas has found his stride in the Mile High City. And with the playoffs heating up, the Avalanche are reaping the rewards.