Another massive Bruins target is off the board

When Don Sweeney and the Boston Bruins opted for a 'free agent frenzy' approached center on bottom of the roster types and roleplayers, not everyone was sold on this being exactly what the Bruins had in mind.

In fact, some went as far as to say the Bruins were indeed kicking the can down to the road to a more star-studded free agent class in 2026.

“If some of these guys who are supposed to be free agents next year [hit the market], whether they get one or not, I think Boston wants to have the opportunity to take a shot at one of those guys,” Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said on his '32 Thoughts' podcast this past summer. “So, if you’ll notice, they didn’t really do much to hamstring themselves in the future."

But those guys have to actually hit the market for the Bruins to take a swing at them. And yet another player opted out of that market Thursday, with winger Martin Necas signed to an eight-year, $92 million contract extension by the Avs.

Necas, first acquired by Colorado in the trade that sent Mikko Rantanen to Carolina, will make $11.5 million per season on the extension, and has recorded 18 goals and 41 points in 41 games with the Avs since moving to Colorado.

Necas is just the latest star player to opt out of a potential jump into unrestricted free agency next summer. Elsewhere in the league, the Oilers' Connor McDavid, the Golden Knights' Jack Eichel, Winnipeg's Kyle Connor, and Minnesota's Kirill Kaprizov are among those who elected to re-sign with their clubs.

While it's obvious to expect the Bruins to be 'in' on any star player that becomes available in free agency given their desire to infuse their offense with more high-end talent, there was indeed a strong decision to make a push for Necas had he hit the open market. Talk of Necas to Boston first grew during the Hurricanes' reported pursuit of Linus Ullmark prior to his trade to Ottawa in 2024, and while it was never clear if that was even on the table in a potential Bruins-Hurricanes trade, Boston's interest in Necas had been there for obvious reasons.

Beyond the obvious of Necas being a player with all-world speed and skill (something the Bruins could use more of), he is also a fellow countryman of current Bruins David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha, making him a 'natural' fit from a comfort standpoint if given the chance to pick a city and team of his choosing.

But all that went out the window Thursday, with Necas instead deciding to stay with the Avs, where he'll continue to ride shotgun with Nathan MacKinnon.

With Necas off the board, the Kings' Adrian Kempe and New York's Artemi Panarin are looking like the top potential free-agent options next July, while Buffalo's Alex Tuch, the Canadiens' Patrik Laine, and Utah's Nick Schmaltz are some of the other notable options potentially hitting the market.

The Bruins, for what it's worth, currently project to begin next season with under $18 million in available cap space, which is the second-lowest total in the NHL.