As per Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos, “It’s believed that three teams have made serious pitches for Rantanen but have been turned down so far as the Avs still hope to re-sign him. Could Carolina have been one of them?” Kypreos offered this report as part of his Trade Bait Board 2.0 post on Wednesday. He added, “I’m not sure Colorado is getting traction in extension talks. There is a belief they already offered $90 million over eight years ($11.25 million AAV) earlier this season.”
If accurate, this creates an intriguing situation for the Avalanche. They want to be a playoff contender and Mikko Rantanen is a huge piece, if not the most important piece of their push. He’s fourth in NHL scoring with 61 points and tied for fifth in goals with 25. He’s worth a huge pay raise, and it sounds like teams that are pitching for him are prepared to offer him what he wants. But, will the Avalanche keep him and risk losing him for nothing if they don’t want to spoil their playoff hopes?
Kypreos points out that Rantanen, a 28-year-old star, is in a position to get a huge contract just as the cap is set to take its biggest one-season jump in years. It’s not surprising he’s asking for a monster contract, one that likely exceeds Nathan MacKinnon‘s salary cap with his $12.6 million AAV. The Avs don’t want to go above that number, but they might not have a choice. Another team will gladly give it to Rantanen this summer.
Will the Avalanche Bow to Pressure Of Trade Offers and Move Rantanen?
Kypreos only speculates that the Hurricanes might be among the teams making an offer. There’s no concrete reporting on conversations between the Avalanche and anyone.
The team that would be inquiring likely has cap space to work with, roster assets to give back to the Avalanche, and prospects or picks to go with it. The haul would have to be huge if the Avs were even to consider this, which they probably aren’t. Still, if they’ve made a contract extension offer to Rantanen and the two sides aren’t close — Kypreos suggests they could be well over $1 million apart and maybe even $2 million — it’s hard to know what the Avs might feel cornered into doing.
