The entire Mikko Rantanen saga in 2025 caught plenty of Colorado Avalanche fans offguard. There was no real indication that the Avs were really looking to move the former Stanley Cup winner.
But when it happened, it seemed like it happened in a flash.
At some point, nonetheless, the deal might have fallen through.
At least that’s what insider Elliotte Friedman stated in Thursday’s edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast.
During the episode, Friedman talked about the Carolina Hurricanes’ current interest in Connor Hellebuyck. However, he brought up the Rantanen situation as an example of how the Canes do business, and pointed out that the Hurricanes really wanted Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks, not Rantanen from Colroado.
“When they (Carolina) traded for Rantanen from Colorado, so that night, I actually heard about (Elias) Pettersson from Vancouver, and they had two deals on the table. I was slow to turn to pivot to Rantanen because I thought Pettersson was going to get done.”
So, it seems that the Hurricanes actually wanted Pettersson and not Rantanen. But things changed when the Avalanche were not afraid to step up and get the deal done.
Avalanche stepped up, and made Carolina a deal they liked
When it came down to crunch time, the Hurricanes essentially let the Avalanche and Canucks know it was a “now or never” moment to make the deal happen.
At that point, the Canucks balked, while the Avalanche agreed to make the deal happen.
“So, that night, it was either Rantanen or it was Pettersson. And, I guess they said to both Colorado and Vancouver, ‘It’s time… It’s time for your best.’ And Colorado came forward with the deal that they took, and Vancouver just didn’t.”
The rest is history.
The Avalanche got Martin Necas out of the deal. While it was certainly a convoluted time, you have to think that, at least from Colorado’s perspective, the deal was the right one. Necas became the start that everyone thought he would be.
Sure, that’s a result of playing with Nathan MacKinnon. But then again, doesn’t MacKinnon make everyone around him better?
The bottom line is that the Avalanche had the guts to let Rantanen go, and make the deal happen. Yes, Rantanen later said he was blindsided by the deal, and whatnot, but the fact remains that the Avs took advantage of the situation.
There was no hesitation in the end. And unlike the Canucks, the Avalanche aren’t stuck with a player they might not have wanted otherwise.
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