Colorado Avalanche Frustration with Contracts: Mikko Rantanen and Altitude

The Colorado Avalanche have two sticky contract situations — one with winger Mikko Rantanen and the other with cable providers.

The Colorado Avalanche are fast approaching the danger of starting the season without their star winger. However, it won’t matter much to in-market fans because we won’t be able to (legally) watch the games anyway.

The 2019-20 season is supposed to be a golden one for us. Not like the Golden Age, but more the golden promise of the Why Not Us era. Through a painful but intelligent rebuild, the team has finally secured a roster that many pundits opine could challenge for a Stanley Cup sooner rather than later.

A lynchpin of that roster, though, is winger Mikko Rantanen. He is a restricted free agent, and with opening night just under two weeks away, he’s as yet unsigned.

Rumors are flying. According to the Denver Post, Rantanen’s agent, Mike Liut, stated the two sides aren’t even close to matching numbers.

Meanwhile, Rantnanen has been in first Norway and now Switzerland where he told MTV sports, “It’s where you get the best workout.”

And here’s where my frustration boils over for the first time. No, Mr. Rantanen, Bern, Switzerland is NOT the best place for a workout when you have an NHL team to work out with. Switzerland — must be nice. I could barely afford to backpack there.

Of course, on the flip side, Rantanen could barely afford to “backpack” in the places where the Kroenkes vacation.

Anyway, backing away from that frustration, according to Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic, the Avalanche are offering a deal ranging from six to eight years at an AAV of $8.4 to $8.75 million. That’s Sebastian Aho to Leon Draisaitl money. Unfortunately, Liut and Rantanen appear to want Mitch Marner money.

Marner signed a six-year contract with an AAV of $10.9 million. So, we’re looking at a difference of at least $2 million. This late in the game, that ain’t good.

By the way, I’m frustrated with Marner and the Leafs, too. Kyle Dubas, really? I mean, I guess I shouldn’t fault Marner for getting everything he possibly can, but I also wanted to slug him when I saw him in a little clip explaining Auston Matthew’s chirp.

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Meanwhile, Avs insider Adrian Dater recently reported that the $8.75 million figure isn’t accurate. He also remarked that the magic number to get Rantanen signed is $9.5 million, probably over six years.

Hi, Mr. Sakic, your turn for a dose of frustration from me. Are you really going to nickel and dime Rantanen the way you did Nikita Zadorov? Do you think I’ve forgotten that you let him miss training camp for the sake of $250,000 a couple years ago? That’s pocket change for the Kroenkes and means very little to the cap.

If any of those figures are accurate, we’re looking at a difference of $750,000 to $1 million. That’s stupid money for me and you (I assume), but it’s a small divide for the Colorado Avalanche’s second best forward.

Plus, you know what the best-case scenario is? The Avs and Rantanen come to an agreement and Mikko shows up in time for, say, our last preseason game. Who the hell cares because only out-of-market fans will be able to (legally) watch the games!

As if the player-club clash wasn’t enough, we’ve got the Clash of the Titans. Altitude TV and the Big 3 cable providers are feuding. Again, rumors are flying, but it all boils down to the death throes of old-fashioned TV.

The cable companies want to recoup lost revenue from people (like me) cutting the cord. And they’re sticking it to one of the sectors that has leverage — regional sports networks. If this were just about Altitude TV (owned by the Kroenkes) and the Big 3, I’d say it was just Stan Kroenke being a brat. (G-version of what I really want to say.)

But it’s not. It’s happening with Fox Sports North, too. It looks like these blackouts can happen with any regional sports network.

And that’s the biggest frustration of all. I get that the cable providers have to make money, but that doesn’t mean I have to like their tactics.

What’s more, I know it wouldn’t be profitable for the Kroenkes to do so, but why can’t they buy their own broadcast station and just show Altitude TV? Can’t it be a tax write-off?

Next. Where is Mikko Rantanen?. dark

I guess it all boils down to one thing — fights over money can spoil literally anything. In this case, they’re spoiling the Colorado Avalanche’s Golden Season.

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