Necas for Peterka: Are the Avalanche Positioned for a Sneaky One-for-One Trade?

The Avalanche have a star winger appearing on several offseason trade boards.

The Buffalo Sabres have a young up-and-coming winger also making many lists.

There aren’t any reports connecting the two names — this is simply speculation on my behalf.

What if the Avs offered up Martin Necas in a one-for-one deal for JJ Peterka?

Would either front office object? Maybe. And there are reasons why.

Necas, 26, is on the last year of a contract paying him $6.5 million per season. He had a career year in 2024-25, split between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Avalanche. Necas finished with 27 goals and 83 points. His point totals and 56 assists are both career highs. He was the key piece returning to the Avs in the blockbuster Mikko Rantanen trade almost five months ago.

Peterka, who is three years younger, is coming off another breakout season. After scoring 28 goals and recording 50 points in 2023-24, Peterka had 27 goals and 68 points this past season. He’s also a restricted free agent following the expiration of his entry-level deal. After rumors started to circulate that Peterka wants out of Buffalo, it’s now being reported that Buffalo is listening on offers for the 23-year-old German winger.

Why the Avs make the deal

Everything starts and ends with determining what Necas wants on his next contract. You can have legitimate arguments about his fit on the team after his playoff performance and the fact that he plays a similar puck possession game up the right side to Nathan MacKinnon’s.

But a lot of that can get figured out. Most of the time talent wins and Necas is a gifted player. His next contract just can’t get to the number he reportedly wants.

If Chris MacFarland and Joe Sakic traded Rantanen to spread his money throughout the roster, they can’t sign Necas for $10 million or more and have a slighter cheaper top-heavy lineup. Rantanen at $12+ million with a lesser depth player is better than having Necas for just a couple million dollars less.

So if it’s truly about spreading the wealth, a deal like this makes a ton of sense. Not only do you get a younger forward in Peterka — one that might be a better fit. But you also get him at a point in his career where he could be enticed with a max-term extension for considerably less than what Necas might be seeking.

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Peterka is unhappy and wants to play for a team with playoff aspirations. I don’t think there are many options out there for him better than being linked to MacKinnon for the remainder of his prime. And if he still needs more convincing, perhaps someone could tell him about the last left-shot ring winger that spent the prime years of his career playing on MacKinnon’s wing.

Could Peterka’s next deal reach $8 million? If so, would that be enough? If the Avs locked up Peterka long-term at around that number, it’s a larger cap hit than what Necas makes now, but it’s less than any feasible extension that could keep Necas in Colorado for longer than just one more season.

Why they don’t

That last point is a big one. The Avs are already tight on cap space and that’s with Necas counting against the cap at $6.5 million. They’d need to clear more cap space to fit Peterka and the hypothetical contract he’d get.

You have the obvious Miles Wood contract that could help make that work. Would the Sabres be interested in Wood for four more years at $2.5 million?

If not, it would require other cap clearing moves.

Peterka is an excellent young player and has the potential to be a star in the league. He might reach the numbers Necas had this past season, and could even be better. But right now, he’s still not that. If the Avs are about winning now, it’s a risk to downgrade a player like Necas for someone who might put up the same numbers, but might not.

This is another one of those things where MacFarland needs to balance going all in on every MacKinnon and Cale Makar prime year while also planning for the future.

I’d wager that Peterka finds his way on the Avs, and a more loaded roster with Brock Nelson, Charlie Coyle, and Gabe Landeskog for a full year could elevate the Avs to new heights.

But it’s still something MacFarland would need to consider, at least for a moment.

Why the Sabres make the deal

Peterka wants out, that much is seemingly true and has been reported several times. And he’s worth a lot. But other teams knowing he wants to be dealt could hinder Buffalo’s ability to get full value, albeit his restricted free agent status without arbitration rights means he doesn’t have much say in the situation.

All that considered, getting Necas for a player that wants out is a solid return. Some would argue Necas is a better player than Peterka, and they have every right to. It’s also worth noting that Buffalo tried to get him last year from Carolina before Necas signed a two-year deal that walks him to unrestricted free agency in 2026. They tried and failed. Could they try again?

Necas is the type of player that could energize a market. And Buffalo needs any bit of change and excitement they could get after their disaster 2024-25 season.

Why they don’t

Can they get more for Peterka from another team? Perhaps, yes. But what if that better package is loaded with more draft picks and prospects? I’m not sure if Buffalo should be looking for futures over a developed star in Necas.

But more importantly, Necas needs to want to be in Buffalo. At a time when not many want to be there, would Necas be okay with locking in a long-term deal? I’m sure the Sabres could way overpay him to make it happen. But even then, he’d likely still want to consider other options.

If Necas doesn’t have any interest in signing there, this deal might be dead before it ever happens. Or maybe Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams decides to acquire him without a contract and hopes the season ahead convinces him otherwise. If things don’t go according to plan by the time the trade deadline comes around, they can do what the Carolina Hurricanes did with Rantanen and trade him elsewhere for a solid package in return. Like the Canes with Rantanen, at least they would’ve tried.

But I’m not sure Adams has that level of risk in him.