Recent reports have made it sound like the Colorado Avalanche and Mikko Rantanen might be closing in on a contract extension. That may well be the case, but if it is, the Avalanche winger isn’t spilling those beans.
In a new interview over in Finland, Rantanen was asked about a new extension and where negotiations stand. According to him, they aren’t that far along.
“We’ve already started a little, but we haven’t had any intensive discussions yet. They will surely speed up here in time,” he told the outlet Turan Sanomat.
A week ago, Elliotte Friedman stated that teams around the league believe a deal is likely to get done. That is probably the case, but the Avalanche don’t typically announce big deals like this in the dead of the summer. If something gets done, it’s more likely to happen around the start of the season.
A new contract isn’t all that Rantanen talked about in the interview. He discussed how excited he is to represent Finland next year at the 4 Nations Faceoff, as well as in the Olympics in 2026. He also was asked what he’s been focusing on in his training this summer.
One word: speed.
“In the NHL, the game is going faster all the time, and as a result, Explosiveness is a big part of how the game is developing,” he said. “You can’t forget that there are 82 games in the regular season. So you have to have endurance, and you have to be strong in struggles.”
While Rantanen had another 100 point season, he wasn’t as dominant as he was the year prior. Early in the season, he was called out by a dad on the team. He returned to Finland in June and has been working with his trainer since around that time.
Like most of his teammates, he’ll probably be back in Denver soon, as camp is set to open in less than a month.
