Mikko Rantanen is front and center in the media for all the wrong reasons, as a wild rumor has circulated online that is involving him right in the middle of it.
Colorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen leads the pack of several NHL stars playing this season on expiring contracts.
He's in the final season of his six-year, $55.5 million contract with a $9.25 million AAV and is due for a substantial salary bump. Since the start of 2024-25, it's been speculated that he could fetch up to $14 million annually.
The Avalanche have the cap space to accommodate that, but some fans and pundits don't believe he merits earning more than Nathan MacKinnon, who has an AAV of $12.6 million.
With the March 7 trade deadline slowly approaching, speculation is building on whether the Avalanche will take a gamble and attempt to re-sign Mikko Rantanen in the summer.
Given the gamble they'll take potentially losing him as an unsigned UFA on July 1, they won't get any compensation.
Earlier this month, TVA Sports' Renaud Lavoie added fuel to the fire by ranking Rantanen 20th among his list of 25 players who might get traded before the deadline.
"If the Avalanche does not consider themselves able to accommodate Rantanen's demands, they could therefore be inclined to get most of his value on the trade market instead of letting him slip away on July 1."- Renaud Lavoie
Although he is extension-eligible as of July 1, Rantanen has said he won't negotiate his contract until after the season. The Colorado front office might just have a fairly hard decision on their hands come March.
Trading Rantanen would send shockwaves throughout the NHL. The superstar forward already has 24 goals and 58 points in 41 games this season.
The Avalanche do hold the first Wild Card spot in the West, but if their postseason hopes begin to dwindle, that blockbuster trade featuring Rantanen could very well come to fruition.
