The Colorado Avalanche took a calculated risk when assessing the Mikko Rantanen trade. The reasoning was that Rantanen, who was reluctant to re-sign before the end of the season, would fetch a significant return in a trade.
The Avs were right about that.
They fleeced the Carolina Hurricanes in the deal. The Avalanche replaced Rantanen with Martin Necas. Necas looked good and is poised to have a breakout year next season.
But then, things took a turn for the worse. The Hurricanes, in the same situation as the Avalanche, preemptively saved themselves plenty of headaches and traded Rantanen to the Dallas Stars.
I wish I could prove it, but I would say that the Hurricanes traded Rantanen to the Stars just to spite the Avalanche.
But the fact of the matter is that Dallas was the only option Carolina had. According to insider Nick Kypreos, the Hurricanes had a deal in place with the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, the Hurricanes didn’t want to send Rantanen to Toronto as they feared running into Rantanen in the playoffs.
Moreover, Rantanen was unwilling to guarantee signing a contract extension with other teams, limiting their options. For example, Rantanen was willing to go to the Edmonton Oilers, but the Hurricanes weren't impressed with the Oilers' offer.
So, instead of risking a showdown with Rantanen as member of the Maple Leafs, the Hurricanes sent him to the Stars. Once Rantanen was with the Stars, he was likely going to be Colorado’s problem. And, that’s precisely what happened.
Rantanen got the ultimate revenge on the Avalanche by getting a hat trick in Game 7 to send the Stars to the second round. Plus, with Rantanen going insane against the Winnipeg Jets, it looks like Avalanche lost the Rantanen trade.
Why Colorado Avalanche lost Rantanen trade despite fleecing Hurricanes
This entire Rantanen affair looks like a Seinfeld episode. There is a beautiful irony in how things worked out. It was Rantanen, of all people, who drove the dagger home.
That situation alone makes the Avalanche huge losers of the Rantanen trade. On its face, the Avs won the trade with the Hurricanes. But once Rantanen was flipped to the Stars, the Avalanche lost big time.
I know what you’re thinking. The Avalanche had no control over what Carolina was going to do. As a result, the Avalanche can’t be blamed for what unfolded once Rantanen left Colorado.
Yes, that’s a fair assessment. However, none of that would have happened if the Avalanche had made the original trade.
Does that mean that the Avalanche would be playing the Winnipeg Jets now if they hadn’t traded Rantanen?
It’s a possibility worth exploring. Perhaps in a parallel universe Rantanen scores that hat trick for Colorado and sends Dallas packing. Perhaps in that same parallel universe, it’s Logan Stankoven who emerges as the hero for Dallas.
It’s too bad we don’t have a time machine because we can only speculate on what-ifs. The reality is that Rantanen seems to be thriving in Dallas while the Avalanche are heading home for the summer.