Training camp for the Colorado Avalanche opens for the players on September 18th. It has always been an unwritten rule that all the players show up early and skate together. These informal skates, also known as “Captain’s Skates”, start after Labor Day. A lot of big names for the Avalanche have already arrived in Centennial at the practice facility. Some of these players include Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, Brent Burns, Sean Behrens, Brock Nelson, Josh Manson and many more. One name that is absent is Martin Nečas.

Why does this matter?

Nečas has one year left on contract with the Avalanche, offering him an opportunity to sign an extension, should he choose. Nick Kypreos, representing Sportsnet, reported earlier in the summer that Nečas was unhappy with his Colorado experience and wished to explore alternatives. Colorado made it obvious that they have a cap themselves when they were negotiating with Mikko Rantanen, but Cale Makar will be a different story next summer.


Nečas ended the season with over a point per game. His performance dipped toward the season’s conclusion; however,  team chemistrymay have played a role. If Nečas were to arrive in town as soon as he could, he could start building even more chemistry with the team. Marc Moser of Altitude said that he needed training camp to get on track.

We don’t know if this is a negotiation tactic or the norm for him. No one has seen him, and the Avalanche are 14 days away from mandatory reporting. Brock Nelson, the other trade deadline piece, has been in town for a couple of weeks. However, Nelson’s contract ensures he plays in Colorado through 2027-28. We should not worry yet, but we have seen some of the bigger names already, and he should be one of them. He still has time to show up, but are we looking at a contentious situation to start the year?