Mikko Rantanen is in a pretty good spot. He’s put together back-to-back 100-point seasons, gets to play alongside the Hart Trophy winner in Nathan MacKinnon, and looks primed to cash in on his next contract. That last part puts the Colorado Avalanche in a more precarious position, as general manager Chris MacFarland tries to keep all of Colorado’s superstars together.
The 2024-25 season will be the final year of Rantanen’s current contract, and getting this deal done will likely be as important to the future of the Avs as MacKinnon’s extension back in 2022. Those two have created one of the highest-scoring duos in all of the NHL, and here’s a look at why the Avalanche need to get his extension signed sooner rather than later.
Rantanen Already an Avs All-Time Great
He’s only 27 years old, but it’s likely that Rantanen has reserved a spot for his jersey in the rafters at Ball Arena once his playing days are over. He’s already in the top eight on the franchise leaderboards for career goals (262), assists (355), and points (617). He’s hit at least 100 points in each of the last two seasons, and had 92 points back in 2021-22 to help Colorado win its third Stanley Cup.
Only three other players in franchise history have posted 100 points in back-to-back campaigns. Two are in the Hall of Fame, and the other just won the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player. Peter Stastny put together six straight 100-point seasons from 1980-86. Michel Goulet accomplished the feat in 1982-83 and 1983-84, while MacKinnon joined Rantanen in putting up 100 points over the last two seasons.
His last three seasons alone have put him in areas of production that only a few players have reached in franchise history. Over the past three campaigns, Rantanen has missed just nine games while racking up 133 goals and 301 points. Only Connor McDavid (408 points), Leon Draisaitl (344), and MacKinnon (339) have scored more during that span – with MacKinnon and McDavid winning the last two MVP awards.
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Rantanen is a year younger than MacKinnon and the same age as McDavid. There’s no indication that any of those players are slowing down any time soon, and Rantanen’s numbers put him right along with them. His 55 goals in the 2022-23 season were only two shy of Goulet’s single-season record of 57 in 1982-83. Rantanen’s points-per-game has also increased each of the last three seasons. There’s little reason to think he can’t keep that up for a few more seasons, and another 50-goal season could also be looming.
Rantanen’s Contract Situation is Sticky
As much as everyone involved with the Avalanche wants to bring Rantanen back, it’s not quite that easy. Recent contracts and the success of their first-round picks have made some of these extensions difficult. In the last three years, the team has recently re-upped the contracts of MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Valeri Nichushkin, Artruri Lehkonen, Devon Toews, and Gabriel Landeskog. All of those signings are quality, but they’ve put MacFarland and the Avs in a salary-cap situation that’s like playing a Jenga game that’s 40 feet tall in a 40 mph wind. It’s getting pretty tough to balance.
Some are pointing to the contract extension the Vancouver Canucks recently gave their star Elias Pettersson, which was an eight-year, $92.8 million deal ($11.6 million in average annual value). This seems totally reasonable for Rantanen, but the Avalanche star might command even more money – since he’s a more prolific scorer than Pettersson. However, that would give Colorado three players making more than $9 million per year, along with MacKinnon and Makar. That’s a huge chunk of the $88 million salary cap dedicated to just three players. That’s not to say MacKinnon, Makar, and Rantanen aren’t worth it – and they’ve earned it. They’re three of the best players in franchise history. That makes getting the extension done before Rantanen has a chance to add more to his resume imperative.
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The Avalanche need to get this extension signed before the puck drops on the 2024-25 season – much like they did with MacKinnon. Wrapping him up in August or September will clear out any distractions during the season, protect the Avs from Rantanen’s price tag going up, and protect the player from that same price tag going down due to injury or other circumstances. If Colorado wants to win another Stanley Cup with this group, it’s hard to envision them doing it without Rantanen. Winning franchises have to make difficult decisions, but this one seems like a no-brainer.
