Former Colorado Avalanche Mikko Rantanen cemented his legacy with the Colorado Avalanche by breaking an unusual record on Sunday night.
The moment Rantanen stepped on the ice during Saturday night’s Dallas-Edmonton game, Rantanen set the mark for most points by a player who appeared for three different teams in the same season. Rantanen entered the game having registered 70 points with the Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes prior to his move to the Dallas Stars at the trade deadline.
The previous record was held by Thomas Vanek who registered 68 points in 2013-14 while playing for the Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, and Montreal Canadiens.
The record, while not precisely one of the most glamorous, cements Rantanen’s legacy with the Colorado Avalanche as he continues to make history with the Avalanche despite no longer being a team member.
Rantanen’s new record goes to show how unusual feats result from seemingly inadvertent circumstances. Who knows how long this record will stand as it is quite rare that star players get traded twice in the same season.
Rantanen shines in debut with Colorado Avalanche rivals
On another note, it was nice to see Rantanen shine in his debut with his new team, the Dallas Stars. Rantanen registered a goal and an assist in the 5-4 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night.
While Rantanen is now a member of one of the Avalanche’s archrivals, it’s good, nonetheless, to see an old friend hit the ground running in his new surroundings. It was evident that Rantanen was never comfortable in Carolina.
Whatever the reason for his apparent discomfort with the Hurricanes, it seems the move to Dallas has been much more pleasant for Rantanen. It’s interesting to consider the outcome after NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs had offered the moon and the stars for Rantanen.
However, Carolina was unwilling to trade Rantanen to a team they could meet in the playoffs. So, the Hurricanes decided to trade Rantanen to a team that the Avalanche could run into during the postseason.
Personally, it doesn’t seem like that’s something Rantanen considering during negotiations. I feel he just wanted to get the trade over with so he could move on with his life and career. Perhaps now that everything has begun to sink in, I’m certain Rantanen is well aware that he could face his former team in the playoffs.
It would be a situation akin to Wayne Gretzky meeting the Edmonton Oilers during the 1989 playoffs. Gretzky, fresh off a trade from Edmonton to Los Angeles, faced the Oilers in the first round of the following season’s playoffs.
Gretzky and the Kings upset the defending Stanley Cup champions that season in seven games. They were swept in the following round. Still, it was ironic the Kings and Oilers met in the first round in the season following the trade.
So, wouldn’t it be somewhat of an ironic situation that the Avalanche and Stars meet this season in the playoffs? If the playoffs started today, that would be the precise scenario at hand.