Martin Necas' big extension with Avalanche another blow to 2026 NHL free agency

NHL fans should start preparing themselves for a very slow, boring summer of player movement during the 2026 offseason. Mostly because there are not going to be any significant free agents of relevance remaining to be signed. Another potential free agent was removed from the list on Thursday when the Colorado Avalanche re-signed forward Martin Necas to an eight-year contract extension.

The team did not announce the financial terms of the deal, but it is reportedly worth a total of $92 million, with a salary-cap number of $11.5 million per season.

It is an expensive extension, but Necas has been a great fit in Colorado since arriving in last year's Mikko Rantanen trade. 

The bigger story from a leaguewide perspective, however, is just how thin it leaves this year's potential crop of free agents.

Every major potential NHL free agent has already re-signed 

It was only a few weeks ago that the 2026 free-agent class was loaded with potential stars.

Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers), Kirill Kaprizov (Minnesota Wild), Kyle Connor (Winnipeg Jets) and Jack Eichel (Vegas Golden Knights) were all entering the final year of their contracts, and in the cases of McDavid and Kaprizov negotiations were going slow. 

But one-by-one, each player started to sign new deals with their current team.

Necas is the latest.