Skip to content
Y
o
u
r
 
d
a
i
l
y
 
d
o
s
e
 
o
f
 
h
o
c
k
e
y
Mikko Rantanen in Edmonton: The (rather outlandish) idea of Andy Strickland
Credit: Getty Images
Mikko Rantanen has been traded to the Hurricanes in recent days.

But even though the trade was unexpected, it doesn’t mean he will automatically continue his career in Carolina for the next few years.

The reason is simple: this summer, the forward will be able to test the free agent market. The Hurricanes better pull out the big bucks if they want to see him stay within the organization…

It’s going to be expensive to sign him, and if the Hurricanes can’t afford it, another club will.

At this point, Andry Strickland stated on his podcast that there is a team to watch if Rantanen hits the market.

He’s talking about… the Edmonton Oilers:

According to the informant, the plan could work because the Oilers will have cap space to offer a huge contract to Rantanen.

He reminds us that Rantanen and Draisaitl share the same agent (Andy Scott)… And he also points out that the salary cap is set to rise in the coming years.

But realistically, seeing the Oilers make a move like that seems illogical.

Because if we look at the team’s salary cap, we realize that there are already players earning big salaries.

Connor McDavid is making an annual salary of $12.5 million until the summer of 2026, and it’s understood that he will sign an even more lucrative contract extension by then…

Leon Draisaitl just signed a $14 million deal that is valid until the summer of 2033…

Zach Hyman earns $5.5 million annually, and his contract ends in 2028…

Ryan Nugent Hopkins has a contract worth $5.125 million per season extending until the end of the 2029 season…

Darnell Nurse has a terrible contract that will pay him $9.25 million per season until the end of the 2029-2030 season…

Oh, and there’s also Evan Bouchard, who is likely to sign a big contract in the coming months. The defenseman – who is among the elite in the NHL – is currently earning just $3.9 million per season and needs to sign a new deal this summer…

The question to ask is: how would the Oilers manage to offer a huge contract to Mikko Rantanen?

(Credit: PuckPedia)
Obviously, there exists a universe where Stan Bowman decides to trade players to make room for one of the best forwards in the National League.

But would having McDavid, Draisaitl, and Rantanen at $14 million and more per season really help things?

The salary cap may be increasing… But the Oilers could quickly find themselves in trouble by signing Rantanen to a long-term deal.

It’s cool to think about having three forwards like that on the same team.

But there still needs to be money to build around them, and that’s where the problem lies…


In brief

– Who will replace Alex Pietrangelo at the Nations Cup?

– To be continued.

– The result is stunning!

– Oh really?

More Content