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Deadline: Mikko Rantanen is listed as a potential target

 Marc-Olivier Cook
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Deadline: Mikko Rantanen is listed as a potential target
Credit: Getty Images
Mikko Rantanen belongs to the elite of the National Hockey League.

The big forward for the Avalanche has collected over 90 points in each of his last three seasons in Colorado, and he is on track for a third campaign with 100 points or more.

The Finn scores goals, he has exceptional vision, he is good in all three zones of the ice, he stands 6 feet 4 inches tall… In short, we’re talking about an interesting player for any NHL team.

But the problem in his case is the following: Rantanen’s contract expires at the end of the current season, and the forward will have every right to demand an astronomical salary for his next deal.

There is a world in which the Avalanche may not have the necessary resources to pay him what he is worth, which is why Renaud Lavoie has placed him on his list of 25 players who could be traded before the NHL trade deadline.

It’s clear that this would be a surprise.

Trading a player of Rantanen’s caliber doesn’t happen every day in the NHL… But the contractual aspect is important here.

Because we must not forget this: Nathan MacKinnon earns $12.6 million a year until 2031, Cale Makar is going to break the bank after the 26-27 season while he is already making $9 million annually, Gabriel Landeskog is signed for $7 million per season until the summer of 2029, Devon Toews has an annual salary of $7.25 million until 2031, Valeri Nichushkin has a contract that pays him $6.145 million until the end of the 2030 season…

There are big contracts in Colorado right now. And if Chris MacFarland wants to do everything he can to ensure Rantanen stays in Denver, he will need to be creative.

This might be possible by trading another big contract, but again, it takes two partners to dance.

That said, I’m not sure if there are teams that would want Landeskog, Toews, or Nichushkin at that salary…

We must be careful here: Renaud Lavoie did not say that Mikko Rantanen will automatically be traded and will wear another team’s colors by next season.

But looking at the Avalanche’s salary cap and seeing that the team’s GM may have difficulty signing his star player, there are still questions to be asked.


In Brief

– Logical.

– Good.

– There was a lot of fun at practice today.

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