Mikko Rantanen Departed Colorado With a Complicated Legacy. Should That Be the Case?

Hockey is a business. And oftentimes, it’s not very forgiving.

Nothing highlights the truth behind that more than how things have unfolded for Mikko Rantanen. Once a key piece of arguably the most dominant line in hockey, Rantanen saw his Avalanche career abruptly end on a Friday night in January, a month and a half before the first of two real deadlines for him to sign a contract extension.

It was never what he wanted, or expected, to happen.

“Six weeks before the deadline, we were still negotiating, and I felt at that time I needed to go talk to front office, which I did, face to face,” Rantanen said on Saturday, addressing Avalanche media from a conference room at a downtown hotel ahead of Sunday’s matchup against his former team. “I told them I’ll be flexible and I want to play here for a long time. Then a couple days later they traded me.”

When Rantanen entered the conference room, his face lit up at the sight of familiar faces. At the conclusion, when the cameras turned off, it looked like the emotions had hit him again. Holding himself together, Rantanen said he’s excited to talk to Gabriel Landeskog and other former teammates later on Saturday. He’s excited to clear the air, and he even joked that he’ll pick up their dinner bill.

Rantanen is happy with his decision to sign with the Dallas Stars. But it doesn’t seem like he’s completely overcome the sadness of leaving the organization he grew up with against his will.

It’s a stark difference from what general manager Chris MacFarland looked like when he had to hold court about the trade on three separate occasions. Rantanen tip-toed a question about his current relationship with the Avs front office and if that had been damaged by all of this.

From an Avalanche standpoint, it really was a business decision. Mired in a flat cap era, the Avs had no relief after their 2022 Stanley Cup championship run. They watched as key pieces of that team left to sign larger contracts elsewhere. They’ve spent three years waiting for Landeskog to return — something that hasn’t yet happened.

They’ve relied heavily on Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Rantanen for more than two full seasons. The trio made up a large chunk of their salary cap and all of them were due raises. MacKinnon got his, doubling his pay to an AAV of $12.6 million. Makar is expected to breeze by that number on his next deal.

One is the reigning Hart Trophy winner, the other won the Conn Smythe and is doing things on the blueline the NHL hasn’t seen since the days of Bobby Orr.

Stuck somewhere in the middle is Rantanen. His market value might be closer to $14 million, but that was never going to work with a Stanley Cup-contending team that saw him as their third best superstar and it seems like he understood that.

So what was he willing to accept with the Avs? We’ll never really know. But if reports are correct that he was willing to take that same $12 million he signed for in Dallas, then Colorado ultimately walked away from its star winger over a separation of less than $500,000 per year.

Perhaps they were ready to move on and spread their cap dollars out no matter what Rantanen’s flexibility looked like. Maybe they felt the team couldn’t move forward with three players making that much.

The return the Avs got from Carolina — Martin Necas, Jack Drury, a second-round pick, and a fourth-round pick — were enticing enough in their eyes to pull off the shocking trade. Was this their intention all along?

“There was six weeks before the deadline, in my view I thought there was still time,” Rantanen said. “That was the one reason I went to talk to the front office face-to-face. I told them I was flexible and wanted to stay in Colorado.”

Rantanen also wanted to clear up a lot of what he heard floating out there. He didn’t sign in Dallas for anything other than it being a hockey decision. It’s a good team where several of his Finnish friends play. After all, he’s gotten a chance to see firsthand what the Stars could do in the playoffs.

Ultimately, if you asked Rantanen on January 1, 2025, if he’d prefer to sign to play in Denver or Dallas, he would’ve told you he’d like to remain in Colorado for the next eight years. But that wasn’t an option on March 7.

The Avs moved on, it was time for him to do the same.

“That was one reason why Dallas was on my list at the end of the day, and I’m very, very happy to be here now,” he said. “They’ve been good, successful the last couple of years. And they have a good young core, great coach.”

Most NHL superstars are likeable. But that word still doesn’t do justice to describe Rantanen’s tenure with the Avalanche.

For nearly a decade, “The Moose” was arguably the most loveable member of the team. His positive attitude, golden-retriever-like energy, and love for his teammates stuck out to fans.

But then January 24 happened. And if that wasn’t enough, March 7 became the official date that his most loyal supporters were stuck at a crossroads.

It’s complicated.

Rantanen still stands by the fact that he was blindsided by the deal — that things should’ve worked out for a reasonable dollar in Colorado. But when he chose not to sign on the East Coast with Carolina, he negotiated his way to a Central Division rival. It looks bad.

It was never his intention to play for the team that eliminated the Avs last year, and could very well do the same this season. But that’s how things landed.

He might be booed at Ball Arena on Sunday afternoon. He might not.

But after the dust settles on what could be the most-watched first-round series of the postseason (if it happens), we’ll never know if Colorado made the right move until we know what Necas’ next contract looks like.

There’s a reality where Necas could be making as much as Rantanen when training camp for the 2026-27 season begins in 18 months. Ot at least close to it.

Before any of that plays out, Sunday will allow Rantanen an opportunity to show his appreciation for the fanbase he never wanted to leave.

“Well, personally, [it’ll be] emotional, hopefully positive from the fans from the standpoint that, like I said many times, I never wanted to leave. It wasn’t like I asked to leave,” Rantanen said. “So hopefully it’s positive. I have good memories here and it’s gonna be emotional, for sure.”