Seventeen days ago the hockey world, and fans around this team in particular, were stunned when Mikko Rantanen was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes — suddenly ending his storied 10-year stint with the Colorado Avalanche.
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Seventeen days ago it was the biggest news in the NHL.
Seventeen days later, Rantanen’s name is resurfacing on NHL trade boards after a shaky start to his tenure with the Canes.
Seventeen days later, the NHL is once again trying to blast through the thought that nothing could surprise me anymore. Because this would.
It wasn’t on my bingo card to see Rantanen randomly traded on a Friday evening in late January. It also wouldn’t be on my bingo card if we were to see him again get dealt before the March 7 trade deadline.
Which begs the question: Could Rantanen actually get traded again?
Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos was one of a handful of NHL Insiders who spent the past couple of months speaking about a Rantanen trade out of Colorado. I was among the many reporters around the team who thought the idea was outrageous. But low and behold, Kypreos, TVA’s Renaud Lavoie, and others were correct.
This entire thing completely changed the way I approach these types of trade boards. NHL Insiders, especially the ones who have a better track record, don’t usually speak scenarios into existence. Some clickbait-y journalists do but trusted Insiders only write about scenarios that have some bit of truth to them.
It’s the old saying, “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”
Kypreos published his updated trade board on Friday and the first name on the list was Rantanen.
Is this another example of where there’s smoke, there’s fire?
“He appeared on last month’s trade board and although Rantanen was dealt to the Carolina Hurricanes, I hear it’s not a given that he won’t be traded again if Carolina can’t get him signed to a long-term deal,” Kypreos wrote.
The general feeling behind Rantanen being back on the trade board is simple: Carolina gave up a lot to get him, and the assets they moved, particularly an excellent player like Martin Necas, aren’t worth a trade deadline rental.
You could afford to lose Michael Bunting and the other assets the Hurricanes traded for a rental in Jake Guentzel last year. You’re probably willing to gamble on two draft picks and Jack Drury.
But Necas? Losing him for a rental is risky. Especially if that rental hasn’t gotten off to the best start. If Rantanen isn’t a system fit for Rod Brind’Amour and the Hurricanes, and if his production continues to suffer before the deadline, it would be crazy if Carolina didn’t at least entertain the idea of moving him.
Rantanen has a goal and an assist in six games with the Canes. They’ve only won two of those games. Rantanen missed Carolina’s last matchup before the 4 Nations break with an upper-body injury but is still expected to play for Team Finland. He’ll likely be on a line with former teammate Artturi Lehkonen and current teammate Sebastian Aho.
Where Rantanen would go, and what GM Eric Tulsky could recoup in a second trade is anybody’s guess.
My Take On Rantanen
After speaking to several people, the general feeling is that Rantanen is still struggling with the shock value of this whole thing. He didn’t want to leave Colorado. It wasn’t supposed to happen.
The contract negotiations were what they were. But this isn’t the first time a superstar player in the prime of his career has tried to play hardball. More often than not, the team ends up making up the difference and the player gets signed. We saw it with Gabriel Landeskog just four years ago, albeit he wasn’t the same caliber player that Rantanen is now.
But still. The idea that Rantanen was stunned by the trade is very much real. Did he put too much trust in his agent? Did he truly understand that Chris MacFarland and the Avs were serious about moving him before March 7? I’m not entirely sure. But I do think there is some truth to that.
I believe that Rantanen thought he had time to figure things out before the deadline. But I also think MacFarland wasn’t going to take that risk. If the Avs woke up on March 8 with Rantanen still on the roster and a deal not signed, the player would’ve had all the bargaining power.
I’m genuinely not sure if Rantanen is ever going to figure it out this season. He felt like he was on top of the world a month ago. He was second in the league in points behind his linemate Nathan MacKinnon and well on his way to a league-altering extension.
Now? He’s playing three minutes less per game on a team and in a system that isn’t quite working for him yet. He’s no longer playing with MacKinnon or Cale Makar and he’s trying to overcome the emotions of this entire ordeal while still producing so he doesn’t cost himself money on his next contract.
There’s a lot of pressure.
How this all unfolds will be fascinating to watch. Whether he gets dealt or not, the options are going to be vast for him leading up to July 1.
But I still believe, in the heart of hearts, that Rantanen wishes things could’ve worked out with the Avalanche. I don’t think he wanted any of this to happen.
