The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced tonight that the organization has completed a three-team trade with the Carolina Hurricanes and Chicago Blackhawks. The Avalanche acquired forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury, along with a second-round selection in the 2025 NHL Draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft from the Carolina Hurricanes. In exchange, Colorado traded forward Mikko Rantanen to the Blackhawks for forward Nils Juntorp. To complete the deal, Carolina acquired Rantanen and Taylor Hall from Chicago in exchange for Colorado sending Juntorp to the Hurricanes. Chicago also received its own 2025 third-round pick in the deal, which was previously acquired by Carolina.

Necas, 26, leads the Hurricanes with 55 points (16g/39a) in 49 games, tying him for 11th in the NHL scoring race (through games of Jan. 23). His 39 assists also lead the club and tie him for seventh in the NHL. Twenty two (22) of his 55 points have come on the power play, tying him for fifth among all players in PP scoring. He shares the club lead with five game-winning goals.

Necas was named the NHL’s First Star for the month of November after leading all skaters with 22 points (7g/15a) in 15 games during the month. He had a career-high 13-game point streak from Oct. 22–Nov. 17, during which he scored his 100th NHL goal on Oct. 24 at Calgary.

Selected by Carolina in the first round (12th overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft, Necas is competing in his sixth full NHL season in 2024-25. He has recorded 298 points (113g/185a) in 411 career games, all with the Hurricanes. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound center has added 30 points (11g/19a) in 59 career Stanley Cup Playoff contests.

Necas tallied 53 points (24g/29a) in 77 games for Carolina last season, tying him for third on the squad in points and ranking fourth outright in goals. That effort came on the heels of a career-best and team-leading 71-point campaign (28g/43a) in 2022-23. He dressed in all 82 games during that 2022-23 season and co-led the team in assists while finishing second in goals. He scored a single-season franchise record four overtime goals in 2022-23 (that’s since been tied), good for a share for the league lead (David Pastrnak). He also became the sixth player in NHL history to score three last-minute tying goals in a single season and the first to accomplish the feat since 2006-07.

During his first full NHL season in 2019-20, Necas tallied 36 points (16g/20a) in 64 games, ranking fourth among NHL rookies in goals, seventh in points and tied for sixth in assists. He followed that up by leading the team with a +25 plus/minus rating in 2020-21 while ranking among the league leaders in both shorthanded goals (2) and overtime winners (2).

Necas made his NHL debut on Oct. 17, 2017, his only game that season before returning to HC Kometa Brno in the Czech Extraliga. He appeared in seven games the next season (2018-19), which included his first NHL goal on Oct. 16, 2018 at Tampa Bay. Necas spent the rest of the 2018-19 campaign with the Charlotte Checkers, where he tallied 52 points (16g/36a) in 64 regular-season games and 13 points (5g/8a) in 18 playoff contests to help the Checkers win the Calder Cup.

A native of Nove Mesto na Morave, Czechia, Necas has represented his country at the 2017, 2018 and 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship as well as the 2018 and 2024 IIHF World Championship, winning gold in 2024.

Drury, 24, has appeared in 39 games for the Hurricanes in 2024-25 and registered nine points (3g/6a). Carolina went 6-2-0 when he found the scoresheet this season. Drury missed 10 games earlier this season due to an upper-body injury but suited up in all 11 Carolina games since being activated off Injured Reserve on Jan. 3. Over his 39 games with Carolina, Drury won 58.8% of his face-offs to lead the Hurricanes (min. 400 draws).

Selected by the Hurricanes in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft, Drury has recorded 46 points (15g/31a) in 153 career regular-season NHL games, all with Carolina. The 5-foot-11, 186-pound center has added eight points (1g/7a) over 24 career Stanley Cup Playoff contests. In 2023-24, Drury set single-season career-highs in games (74), goals (8) and assists (19).

A native of New York, New York, Drury played 105 regular-season games for the then-Hurricanes AHL affiliate the Chicago Wolves over parts of the 2021-23 campaigns. He collected 76 points (31g/45a) in that span and added 24 points (9g/15a) in 18 playoff games as the Wolves won the 2022 Calder Cup. During that playoff run, Drury led AHL rookies in goals and assists.

Drury competed for the SHL’s Vaxjo Lakers during the 2020-21 campaign and helped guide them to a league championship as well. After a regular season where he tallied 30 points (10g/20a) in 41 games, Drury then compiled 11 points (5g/6a) in 14 SHL Playoff matchups and scored the SHL Championship-clinching goal along the way.

Prior to turning pro, Drury played two seasons for Harvard University from 2018-20 and skated in 100 contests with the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks from 2016-18.

On an international stage, Drury competed for Team USA at the 2021 IIHF World Championship as well as the 2019 and 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship. He captured bronze for the Stars and Stripes at the World Championship and silver at the 2019 under-20 event.

Drury’s uncle is Chris Drury, who spent four seasons with the Avalanche (1998-02), was a member of the 2001 Stanley Cup championship team and is the current General Manager of the New York Rangers.

Rantanen, 28, was selected by Colorado in the first round (10th overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft and has spent his entire nine-year NHL career with the Avalanche. He recorded 681 points (287g/394a) in 619 career games, ranking him seventh on the franchise’s all-time lists in points and assists and sixth in goals. He also had 101 points (34g/67a) in 81 playoff contests and helped the Avalanche win the 2022 Stanley Cup championship.