The Colorado Avalanche dumped the Calgary Flames 3-1 on Tuesday night, landing the club’s 54th win of the season.
The game wasn’t particularly eventful, with the Flames holding on for most of the night.
The Avs got two late goals, one from Gabe Landeskog and the other, an empty-netter from Nathan MacKinnon.
Landeskog’s goal proved to be the game-winner, while MacKinnon’s tally led to something unique happening. Martin Necas got an assist on the marker, marking his 100th point. Reaching the century mark for Necas was cause for celebration by the entire team.
The milestone was a major personal achievement for Necas. But it also proved something crucial: The Avalanche won the Mikko Rantanen trade.
While Rantanen is now with the Dallas Stars, the original trade happened with the Carolina Hurricanes. And it was the trade that brought Necas to Colorado.
One full season later, and Necas has been more than a good fit for the Avalanche. He’s effectively taken over Rantanen’s role as MacKinnon’s high-octane partner. And Necas has also been a leader on and off the ice.
But looking just at the raw numbers, it’s tough to deny that Necas has been a hit in Colorado.
In 78 games this season, Necas has 38 goals and 62 assists for 100 points. He’s a +47, while smashing through his career-high in goals and points.
As for Rantanen, he’s dealt with a bit of an injury-plagued season. In 63 games, he’s scored 22 and totaled 77 points. That’s still a tremendous statement line. Rantanen is still more than a point-per-game player. Over an 82-game season, Rantanen would have scored exactly 100 points.
But when looking at the advanced stats, things tilt significantly in Necas’ favor. According to MoneyPuck, Necas has produced 11.9 goals above expected. For Rantanen, that’s a -0.1. Moreover, Necas produces 7.29 shots per 60 minutes on 1.483 shot attempts per 60. That translates into 18.9% shooting.
As Rantanen, we’re talking about 6.51 shots per 50, with 13.53 shot attempts per 60, with his shooting percentage dipping to 15.9.
While both stars are scoring at about the same clip on high-danger chances, the clear difference lies in medium and low-danger chances. Necas scores at an 8-76 and 7.09 rate, respectively, while Rantanen at 6.52 and 5.47. We could go through the various data points to illustrate this argument.
On the flip side, some may argue that if Rantanen played a full season, he would be just as good or even better than Necas. That’s a fair point. But at 29, it seems that Rantanen is starting to see a bit of a decline. The Finnish winger could put those points to rest with a fully healthy, productive season in 2026-27. But if injuries and declining production continue to be a factor, that argument will only increase.
As for Necas, some may argue that he’s gotten the production he has by playing with Nathan MacKinnon. But that just illustrates how much he was languishing in Carolina. Necas finally got to play with an elite talent at his level, and, well, the results are evident.
Ultimately, it’s safe to call this trade for the Avalanche. While the comparison would be much better if Rantanen had remained in Carolina, there’s little doubt that the Avalanche were right in getting Necas to ride shotgun with MacKinnon.
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