Mikko Rantanen has established himself as one of the best forwards in the NHL, leading the Colorado Avalanche in scoring in their run to a Stanley Cup victory in 2022 and reaching the 100-point mark in the last two seasons.
The 28-year-old right winger will undoubtedly be among the highest-paid players in the NHL when his current deal expires next July.
The question looming is whether he will remain a franchise cornerstone for the Avalanche or become the most sought-after attraction in free agency next July.
More from Mikko Rantanen on his contract talks:
“I like the team, I like the city. If you win the Stanley Cup here, then why would I want to leave?” pic.twitter.com/i2bHltXdMl
— Aarif Deen (@runwriteAarif) September 19, 2024
Despite Rantanen expressing his desire to stay with the club that drafted him 10th overall in 2015, the Avs and representative Andy Scott of Octagon Management have been unable to agree on a contract extension after the winger became eligible to sign a new deal last July.
Rantanen’s calculation may be similar to Toronto’s Mitch Marner, which is to wait until after the season to see what the 2025-26 salary cap will be and put more pressure on Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland. Coming out of the NHL GM’s meetings earlier this month, the projections have the cap going up from $88 million to $92.5 million. If that is the case, the winger will likely be looking to match or exceed Nathan MacKinnon’s $12.6-million per-season cap hit, which is 14.3 percent of the current cap.
McFarland has to be considering several factors, such as Norris Trophy-winner Cale Makar’s contract being up in 2027 and whether Gabriel Landeskog will return. The captain is currently on LTIR and has four more years left after this season at $7 million annually.
The Avalanche may hope they can get Rantanen to take a hometown discount or agree to take deferred money, as Carolina’s Seth Jarvis and Toronto’s Jake McCabe did recently. In the end, Colorado will have to determine whether they can remain competitive with potentially three players in MacKinnon, Makar, and Rantanen making more than $12 million per season.
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