Elliotte Friedman Leaks the Avalanche's Max Offer for Mikko Rantanen
The Colorado Avalanche chose to trade superstar Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes two nights ago, with the main reason being the cost of an extension.
The team has reportedly set an internal cap, with no player being allowed to surpass Nathan Mackinnon's eight-year $100.8 million deal in annual average value ($12.6 million annually).
Per top NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, the Colorado Avalanche had a massive, albeit not-massive-enough offer on the table for Rantanen, which would have made him the highest paid winger in NHL history, surpassing Artemi Panarin's $11.64 million annual salary.
This number came down to an eight-year deal worth $11.75 million per year, or $94 million in total compensation.
Reports suggest than Rantanen wants a deal much closer to Leon Draisaitl's incoming eight-year $112 million extension, with an $14 million annual price tag with the Edmonton Oilers.
The Avalanche chose to not go down this path, especially considering superstar defenseman Cale Makar will be in need of an extension soon.
The Carolina Hurricanes, who acquired only half of Rantanen's current $9.25 million salary for this season via retention from the Chicago Blackhawks, will have somewhere between $35 and $40 million in cap space ahead of next season, and will likely be able to get a Rantanen deal done - if he wants to stay.
It is no secret Avalanche fans are heartbroken over this deal, and Colorado's management probably should have tried harder to get a deal done with the back-to-back 100-point winger, but now that the trade is done, they can only look forward.
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Gabriel Vilardi | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| Cale Makar | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Kyle Connor | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Matthew Boldy | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Nicolas Roy | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Marcus Foligno | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Claude Giroux | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Brayden McNabb | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Artemi Panarin | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Mark Scheifele | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Vincent Trocheck | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Keegan Kolesar | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Nathan MacKinnon | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Martin Necas | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Reilly Smith | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Tim Stutzle | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Mason Appleton | 1 | - | 1 | |
| William Borgen | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Sam Carrick | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jack Drury | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Capitals | 49 | 33 | 11 | 5 | 71 | |
Jets | 51 | 34 | 14 | 3 | 71 | |
Golden Knights | 50 | 31 | 15 | 4 | 66 | |
Oilers | 49 | 31 | 15 | 3 | 65 | |
Hurricanes | 50 | 30 | 16 | 4 | 64 | |
Stars | 49 | 31 | 17 | 1 | 63 | |
Maple Leafs | 50 | 30 | 18 | 2 | 62 | |
Wild | 50 | 29 | 17 | 4 | 62 | |
Devils | 51 | 28 | 17 | 6 | 62 | |
Panthers | 51 | 29 | 19 | 3 | 61 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||