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Colorado Avalanche sign Mikko Rantanen to six year deal

By Tim Lazenby

CALGARY, AB - APRIL 19: Mikko Rantanen #96 and teammates of the Colorado Avalanche celebrate a goal against the Calgary Flames in Game Five of the Western Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on April 19, 2019 at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Gerry Thomas/NHLI via Getty Images)
CALGARY, AB - APRIL 19: Mikko Rantanen #96 and teammates of the Colorado Avalanche celebrate a goal against the Calgary Flames in Game Five of the Western Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on April 19, 2019 at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Gerry Thomas/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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The Colorado Avalanche have ended a long holdup, as they have signed RFA forward Mikko Rantanen to a six-year deal worth just over $9 million annually.

According to Mike Chambers, the long saga between RFA Mikko Rantanen and the Colorado Avalanche brass has finally come to an end.  One of the last big-name players has been taken off the board via a six-year deal worth $55.5 million. It carries an AAV of $9.25 million per year.

The contract begs the question if Joe Sakic made the right move or not. Do you let one of the premier talents at 22 years old sit idle or do you pay him and continue forward? The contract cost is between Laine and Marner, but it certainly is not a bridge deal.

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Rantanen comes off a smashing season in his young career where he scored 31 goals and 56 assists in only 74 regular-season games in 2018-19.  A key cog in the machine that is the Avs, Rantanen’s signing is the pinnacle in the success of the youth-filled roster.

Whether it was too much money, just the right amount or a steal is too early to tell, but one thing is for sure, the contract will be spoken about at length.  This is yet another contract among the most notable crop of RFAs in recent years.

The Colorado faithful can breathe a collective sigh of relief as they continue their quest toward upper-echelon playoff conquest.

The line of Landeskog, MacKinnon, and Rantanen is nearly unstoppable and thankfully, they can stay that way.  The new deal makes Rantanen the fourth highest-paid right-wing in the league, after Patrick Kane, Mark Stone, and Nikita Kucherov.

Last season, among right wings, he ranked 13th in goals, sixth in assists, and third in power play goals.  That kind of production is insanely hard to replace and when you already have that on your roster, why would you try to?   In only his third full season, Rantanen already has two of the top three best single-season scoring results in Avalanche history among right wings.

When you look at the age, the pedigree and the trust between teammates, it seems like a no brainer.  I’m sure a deep look at analytics could give a better perspective, but from an outsider simply looking in, how can they not make this deal?

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While some may criticize this deal, I applaud you, Mr. Sakic, for keeping your young star happy and fans cheering for another six years.  You’ll still have Mikko in his prime when he comes up for renewal and players remember moments like this.  You done good, Burnaby Joe.Co

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