Rantanen vs Necas points race to end of season.

[Mad Dog Tannen]

I doubt 30ish games will change his contract ask.

Absolutely. I was just being silly. Sorry. I should have used an emoji or two.

 

[dirtydanglez]

not surpised. avs needed some grit on that line, someone to go to the crease. mack in a rover and necas likes to set up on the half wall. having drouin on the line only helped with possession.

 

[Matti_A]

Rantanen is shooting 4.8% with the Canes, doubt that will continue for much longer.

He does look like a fish out of water in the Canes system though.

 

[CaviarAndRinkFries]

 

[D Wakaluk]

I guess it's safe to say that Canes got the lazy point leeching Mico Rantanan instead of the cup winning dynamic Mikko Rantanen

Somewhere Lehkonen's dad is smirking and being annyoing as hell

 

[nightonthesun]

Ismo’s Revenge.

It’s hard to imagine Mikko being lazy or undertrained - he’s always seemed like an insanely competitive person. But, he truly did seem like he lost… half a step? More?

Still a beast, don’t get me wrong. But it’s funny how often this perennial 100p guy pissed off Avs fans, despite it all

 

[Boxscore]

Avs are clearly the winner of this deal, so far. Great job by their management team proving people wrong so far.

Lost in all of this is the fact that Jack Drury has been a very solid addition for the Avs, which is the icing on the cake at the moment.

 

[TheDoldrums]

Rantanen without MacKinnon holding his hand

 

[Boxscore]

Necas still have some warts to cut out, like trying to do too much, but so does Rantanen. What a talent though, he doesn't finish like Rantanen but mack is getting way more space.

Yes, there were a few times Necas seemed to move the puck too quickly, trying to force a play, instead of waiting another second for the open man... especially last night vs. Edmonton. That said, in the last 2 games, Necas should have picked up 7 points instead of 4... and quite easily tbh. The kid is all over the ice and faster than I believed he was... as he's pushing the tempo on par with MacKinnon and Makar which is lethal. With him, they can make high-end plays at high speed without slowing down -- that's a scary proposition for opponents.

Rantanen did most of his damage with his shot and picked up spare pucks from 10-15 feet out. This was great when other teams focused on shutting down the speed of MacK and Makar. Now, it looks like the Avs are adjusting their attack style to be all go...go...go and Necas fits like a glove.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

It's funny how many people are surprised that Necas is really good. Anyone who actually watched him play knew what he was capable of.

Just goes to show how many stay watchers are out there.

 

[Boxscore]

It's funny how many people are surprised that Necas is really good. Anyone who actually watched him play knew what he was capable of.

Just goes to show how many stay watchers are out there.

Yes, and no. With Necas, the talent was undeniable since I saw him in person at the World Juniors in Buffalo. But raw talent doesn't always materialize -- until now, Necas scored 71 points during his best offensive season. At 26 that's good production but far from the elite numbers players like Rantanen, Marner, Pasta, Kaprizov, Hughes, etc. have put up. Watching Necas... there was always that "there should be more" feeling with him... until this season. He came out blazing and scored at a 133-point pace (which was unsustainable) but he looked to have an extra step in his game and played with added confidence. He was coming back down to earth offensively before the trade but it looks like this move to Denver is the best possible scenario for him.

Game recognizes game... and it looks like he and MacKinnon are the perfect match.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Yes, and no. With Necas, the talent was undeniable since I saw him in person at the World Juniors in Buffalo. But raw talent doesn't always materialize -- until now, Necas scored 71 points during his best offensive season. At 26 that's good production but far from the elite numbers players like Rantanen, Marner, Pasta, Kaprizov, Hughes, etc. have put up. Watching Necas... there was always that "there should be more" feeling with him... until this season. He came out blazing and scored at a 133-point pace (which was unsustainable) but he looked to have an extra step in his game and played with added confidence. He was coming back down to earth offensively before the trade but it looks like this move to Denver is the best possible scenario for him.

Game recognizes game... and it looks like he and MacKinnon are the perfect match.

71 points as a 23 year old in an extremely defensive system. He led one of the league's top teams in scoring.

He was very obviously an elite talent in the game whose numbers were suppressed by his situation. That's why I wasn't sure I liked this trade for Carolina.