Mikko Rantanen’s future with the Colorado Avalanche is hanging in the balance, with contract talks hitting a major roadblock.
The star winger, who’s been lighting up the scoreboard as one of the NHL’s best players, is set to become a free agent this summer. And there’s quite a gap between what he wants and what the Avs are willing to pay.
According to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, Colorado wants to keep Rantanen’s salary below Nathan MacKinnon’s $12.6 million. But Rantanen’s team has their eyes on a bigger prize – they’re shooting for something closer to Leon Draisaitl’s massive $14 million deal.
The numbers tell quite a story about why Rantanen’s asking for the big bucks.
He’s already racked up 25 goals and 37 assists in just 46 games this season. Sure, 13 empty-netters help pad those stats a bit, but he’s still on track for his third straight 100-point season.
Here’s what’s really impressive: since 2020-21, only three players have scored more points than Rantanen’s 429 in 335 games. Those players? Connor McDavid, MacKinnon, and Draisaitl. That’s some pretty elite company.
But there’s a catch. The Avalanche are in a tight spot with their salary cap. They’ve already got $79 million committed to just 16 players for next season. Even if they manage to sign Rantanen for $12.5 million, they’d be looking at over $91 million in total payroll – and they’d still need more players to fill out the roster.
There might be a creative solution through deferred money – the kind of deal we’ve seen other teams use this season. It could let Rantanen get his $14 million while keeping his cap hit below MacKinnon’s. But why would he agree to that when other teams might offer him straight-up cash as the top free agent available?
The Avs have made it clear they won’t trade him, even if they can’t reach a deal. Both sides are expected to resume talks during the mid-February break.
The clock’s ticking on this one, and there’s a lot of money – and the future of one of hockey’s best scorers – hanging in the balance.
