The Colorado Avalanche easily pulled off this season’s biggest trade by sending Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes. We covered the speculation leading up to the trade, and the deal itself.
Honestly, I expected the Avalanche to explore a trade, potentially pulling the trigger at or close to the trade deadline. The trade itself wasn’t a surprise to me. What surprised me was the timing.
There were two reasons why the timing hit me like a bucket of cold water. First, talks were ongoing with regard to an extension. According to a piece in The Athletic, Rantanen stated that his camp and the Avalanche had met the week of the trade.
It’s unclear what that meeting produced. But whatever happened in that meeting, it convinced the Avs that a trade was the best way forward.
Second, Rantanen stated that he was willing to take a significant discount just to stay in Colorado. That comment seems a bit unusual as all of the chatter surrounding the contract talks was that Rantanen wanted to get paid.
In fact, some of the chatter suggested that Rantanen wanted upwards of $13 million AAV, closer to Leon Draisaitl’s $14 million AAV.
Such speculation remains unconfirmed, but if we take Rantanen’s comments at face value, he would have had to settle for a cap hit below Nathan MacKinnon’s $12.6 million. That would have meant a deal somewhere around $11.5 to $12 million per season.
If that’ was something Rantanen was willing to do, perhaps the Avs pulled the trigger on the deal too soon. Then again, Rantanen got himself into a game of chicken with the Avalanche. Someone had to blink before the two sides collided in the offseason.
This time, the Avalanche pulled the trigger and Rantanen is now in Carolina. Whether he remains there beyond this season remains to be seen.