The Colorado Avalanche could treat Mikko Rantanen as a rental
There’s also another angle to consider. The Avs could look at Rantanen as an internal rental. Internal rentals are pending free agents that the team knows are going to bolt, but choose to hold on to them regardless.
It’s like when a team acquires a pending free agent at the trade deadline. The team knows the guy won’t sign with them, nor the team is interested in keeping that player. They get the player because he fills a positional hole or provides depth for a long playoff run.
No more, no less.
If the Avs want to treat Rantanen as an internal rental, by all means. The cost, however, is getting nothing in return for a star player once he hits free agency.
But there is a twist. Letting Rantanen walk frees up about $10 million in cap space. As such, the Avs could reallocate that cap space to another high-profile player. That cap space could also go toward trading for a player who might be looking to bolt from their current team.
Ultimately, getting cap space is no small thing. The Colorado Avalanche, like all contenders, could use that cap space. While replacing Rantanen is no easy task, there are other options out there. Players like Brock Boeser, Sam Bennett, or Nikolaj Ehlers could fill the void.
So, it remains to be seen if the hold-up is just the proposed increase in the salary cap ceiling. If that’s the case, it could be a matter of a few more weeks before the next shoe drops, that is, Mikko Rantanen signing an extension in Colorado.