Alright everyone happy Capped Wednesday! There was a couple pen-to-paper moments of note since the last time we chatted, and I think this may just be the norm throughout this season with a looming salary cap increase upcoming. I joked once that with every big upcoming UFA signing off the board, that we make one stride closer to me writing about the big Nick Schmaltz extension come July. You guys, we're not far off here.

Martin Necas signs an eight-year, $92.00M ($11.5M AAV) extension with the Avalanche

I just want one player to sign a seven-year deal, enough with these trendy eights! This week, Martin Necas signed an eight-year extension to remain in an Avalanche sweater and my first thought went where yours did, and that was to Mikko Rantanen. Those are two are going to be linked at the hip because of the trade that took place between Colorado and Carolina, but for right now I want to remove Rantanen from this conversation and just inspect the Avalanche. I get it, it's easy to compare apples to apples or bring the state tax discussion into the fold, but I want to dive into what Nečas extension means for Colorado.

One thing is certain when we look at not only the trade from last season as well as this extension, and that's that the Avalanche clearly value what Nečas brings to the table. They saw what we all did during the first 22 games of last season when he was still in Carolina, and that was a player that accumulated 37 points in that timeframe. I believe that Nečas is an excellent fit for this Colorado team, and if signing him means unlocking even another level to Nathan MacKinnon and that Avalanche power play, then I make this extension 10 times out of 10. One aspect of the $11.5M AAV that I don't think is being discussed enough though, is what that number looks like when we take a step back. By that, I mean if you value Nečas as a B+ player (as most of us would), then maybe with the rising cap $11.5M is the going rate for a player at that talent level. That's just the landscape of the NHL in times of a rising salary cap.

Whether you liked the trade for Nečas last season or if you agree or disagree with this extension, the Avalanche have shown that they're not afraid at all to be bold. Think back to Nazem Kadri a few seasons ago following the Cup win, and the trade last year. I'm on board with the two sides coming to the table now and I think if you're the Avalanche you're putting eggs in the basket that Nečas can, and will, be a 30- to 35-goal scorer for the next five or six seasons, even though he has yet to hit that mark so far in his career. I know that I've mentioned this in the past, but I have a little formula when deciding on a thumbs up, thumbs down, or thumbs sideways on a contract. Essentially, you take the player's age, divide it by two, and then add the term on the contract, the only rule I have is that option years do not count. If the number is 21 or below, then the contract usually ages well. Every number you go over 21 gets riskier and riskier due to the player's age. I may have to tinker with this at some point, but for now when we look at Nečas , here's how it shakes out: 26 / 2 + 8 = 21. This formula isn't fool-proof, but it's been fairly accurate in the past and if we go off those numbers then we land right on 21, meaning that this extension is "good".

For fantasy, I happen to be playing against the guy who has Nečas in our league…cool cool, this is fun. He's one of those players for us that brings a decent amount of hits and is at 31 shots on goal, a solid number for the first week of November. You know someone is a good player when you wish that you had him in fantasy but sadly do not. For us, Nečas went 54^th overall in our draft and I imagine he probably fell around that same spot for you, give or take, say, five or six spots. 

Jacob Markstrom signs a two-year, $12.00M ($6M AAV) deal with the Devils

I'm kind of a numbers guy, that's $6M per season for Jacob Markstrom and I thought that's the number that he was currently at. I'm wrong, he's sitting at $4.1M but I had completely forgotten that Calgary was paying part of his salary. Look, I'm fine with this deal. This gives New Jersey goaltending certainty with both Markström and Jake Allen for at least the next two seasons past this current one, and I don't think it's an overpay to have that luxury. Interesting to note that Markström has a 20-team no-trade for the first year of the extension, but then that number drops to five during his last season. That's a little strange to have 20 teams on the naughty list, if you will.

For fantasy, Markström may be on a roster for you right now, or he's sitting out on the waiver streets. He's just one of those players that isn't as dependable with his injury history, but a solid starter to have when available. That alone has been the way it's been for New Jersey, and it will be interesting to see what this club could potentially do with more pieces healthy and available.

*Salary Cap data from PuckPedia.com  

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