Rumor: 23-24 Trade Rumors and Free Agency Part Trois: The Road to the Deadline

[LOFIN]

This is why we need to trade him because he will absolutely ask for more than Pasta. We can’t pay him 13M+ just simply can’t do it. Matthews extended for 13.25 this past summer and he’s twice the player Mikko’s been this season.

A few questions.

1. When are you going to trade him?
2. What team are you going to trade him for?
3. What do you think you are going to get in return for him?

I have a feeling you can't give me compelling answers to all of those questions, but how about just one. I don't think Mikko is untouchable, I just think the talks about trading him are fairly unrealistic and should we not re-sign him, the most likely scenario is that he'll just walk to free agency while being our rental next year.

 

[henchman21]

Boy for all y'alls yearning to get rid of Rants, you'll likely miss him when he's gone. I get he's been a pain in the arse this year but he's still been producing at a top line clip.

It is a rock and a hard place situation. He’s an elite winger, but how do you build a roster with the current commitments and Rants at 13 with any semblance of depth?

 

[AslanRH]

I'd move Raftanan after this playoff run unless he just dominates.
I think there are teams that would move a better package than the Duchene trade to get a high end winger.

 

[NateTheGreat]

A few questions.

1. When are you going to trade him?
2. What team are you going to trade him for?
3. What do you think you are going to get in return for him?

I have a feeling you can't give me compelling answers to all of those questions, but how about just one. I don't think Mikko is untouchable, I just think the talks about trading him are fairly unrealistic and should we not re-sign him, the most likely scenario is that he'll just walk to free agency while being our rental next year.

1. This off-season.
2. Buffalo.
3. Main piece being Cozens.

Not sure why it’s so hard to envision trading Mikko. I don’t hate him like you seem to think I do, I just hate the thought of paying a winger top of the league money who doesn’t care to play defense and has been severely lacking in the give a **** department this season.

Buffalo could want a shake up this year and they’ve made it clear they’re looking for players ready to contribute as opposed to futures.

Frankly, good front offices figure these things out. Complacent ones will just pay Mikko and watch the team slowly get decimated by lack of depth.

 

[Pokecheque]

It is a rock and a hard place situation. He’s an elite winger, but how do you build a roster with the current commitments and Rants at 13 with any semblance of depth?

I agree wholeheartedly, just sayin' it feels like there are people on here who'd be thrilled if he were to just be dropped from the roster outright. I remember bitching about how Mikko appeared to mishandle hard passes in his spot on the power play, but then for a short time they had Burky over there instead and I very quickly STFU about that.

 

[AllAboutAvs]

Boy for all y'alls yearning to get rid of Rants, you'll likely miss him when he's gone. I get he's been a pain in the arse this year but he's still been producing at a top line clip.

Yes Mikko has been frustrating but I would still love to keep him. The problem is what he will cost. His new cap hit gives us absolutely no room for depth at forward unless we make our defense a lot weaker. It could maybe be done with very good drafting or good but cheap UFA but our drafting is still out for jury and you usually overpay with UFA.

One thing is sure....if they do trade Mikko they cannot f**ck up that trade or it could set us back quite a bit.

 

[LOFIN]

1. This off-season.
2. Buffalo.
3. Main piece being Cozens.

Why on Earth would Buffalo do that? This is exactly what I'm talking about. Yes, I'd probably do that too, but that ain't happening. Totally unrealistic. A top-6 C/W aged 21, signed to a decent cap hit for 6 more years? Yeah sure, totally worth trading that for just a rental winger. If they would consider trading Cozens as part of some shakeup move (which I doubt, they haven't even fired their coach yet and that's where they will start), it would be for much more than Rantanen.

Think about the potential trade market for Rantanen. Contenders? They can't trade for him and won't give up anything that should interest us. Up coming teams like Buffalo? Why would they trade away any of their core pieces for us? Teams on a downswing or rebuilding? Even if they would have one interesting piece (say one good player who doesn't want to stick around for a rebuild), why would they trade for Rantanen when they could just sign him as a UFA?

There are only two realistic scenarios where I can see us trading Rantanen. In the offseason, a PLD-Laine or Tkachuck-Huberdeau type of move, where a player from team X really wants to come to Colorado and is pushing the issue. Highly unlikely. Or, the next season blows up for any number of reasons (injuries most likely), CMac realizes very early on that we are not contending for a cup and decides to sell Rantanen for futures at the deadline because he won't be re-signed here.

 

[missionAvs]

Boy for all y'alls yearning to get rid of Rants, you'll likely miss him when he's gone. I get he's been a pain in the arse this year but he's still been producing at a top line clip.

I get that but for as much as we'll miss Rants if we trade him, we'll all still have each other and that has to count for something. Trade him to Zona with RyJo for Keller and Crouse or else I'm putting everyone on my ignore list except for @avgard .

 

[CobraAcesS]

Boy for all y'alls yearning to get rid of Rants, you'll likely miss him when he's gone. I get he's been a pain in the arse this year but he's still been producing at a top line clip.

It's like f***in ground hogs day every year.. same shit lol.

 

[AllAboutAvs]

I get that but for as much as we'll miss Rants if we trade him, we'll all still have each other and that has to count for something. Trade him to Zona with RyJo for Keller and Crouse or else I'm putting everyone on my ignore list except for @avgard .

Calling @Hasbro.................

 

[BrickNHL]

Does @Hasbro love Bjugstad too? He’s a big boy at 6’6, I hope we get him

 

[NateTheGreat]

Why on Earth would Buffalo do that? This is exactly what I'm talking about. Yes, I'd probably do that too, but that ain't happening. Totally unrealistic. A top-6 C/W aged 21, signed to a decent cap hit for 6 more years? Yeah sure, totally worth trading that for just a rental winger. If they would consider trading Cozens as part of some shakeup move (which I doubt, they haven't even fired their coach yet and that's where they will start), it would be for much more than Rantanen.

Think about the potential trade market for Rantanen. Contenders? They can't trade for him and won't give up anything that should interest us. Up coming teams like Buffalo? Why would they trade away any of their core pieces for us? Teams on a downswing or rebuilding? Even if they would have one interesting piece (say one good player who doesn't want to stick around for a rebuild), why would they trade for Rantanen when they could just sign him as a UFA?

Cozens is 23 not 21, pretty big difference there. Buffalo’s core hasn’t made the playoffs. That just answered your question as to why Buffalo would do that. I didn’t think I needed to point out that if Buffalo would be trading for Rantanen it would be with the intention of signing him long term and pairing him with Tage. They’d also still have Mitts down the middle depending on them keeping him past the deadline this year. You’re intentionally making it seem like a deal like this is ridiculous to prove your point when in reality it has some merit to it.

 

[The Moops]

It's unfortunate that Nuke can't stay clean

What do you mean? His nose is so clean you can only see Ajax cleaning powder in there

 

[LOFIN]

Cozens is 23 not 21, pretty big difference there. Buffalo’s core hasn’t made the playoffs. That just answered your question as to why Buffalo would do that. I didn’t think I needed to point out that if Buffalo would be trading for Rantanen it would be with the intention of signing him long term and pairing him with Tage. They’d also still have Mitts down the middle depending on them keeping him past the deadline this year. You’re intentionally making it seem like a deal like this is ridiculous to prove your point when in reality it has some merit to it.

Even if all what you said were true, the value is still not close because of the contracts. So what are we adding. A 1st? Bo? Ritchie?

 

[EdAVSfan]

Even if all what you said were true, the value is still not close because of the contracts. So what are we adding. A 1st? Bo? Ritchie?

The contracts make it not close.

But then there’s the part about Rantanen being a 100 point winger. And Cozens… well, isn’t.

 

[LOFIN]

The contracts make it not close.

But then there’s the part about Rantanen being a 100 point winger. And Cozens… well, isn’t.

Do you take 1 year of an elite 100 point winger, or 6 years of a 60 point C/W?

 

[Pokecheque]

Does @Hasbro love Bjugstad too? He’s a big boy at 6’6, I hope we get him

Yeah no

 

[NateTheGreat]

Do you take 1 year of an elite 100 point winger, or 6 years of a 60 point C/W?

Sandbagging the argument by suggesting Mikko is a rental again. Buffalo would be signing Mikko to an 8 year deal in this scenario not acquiring a rental winger.

There’s also added value to Buffalo if having an elite player in Rantanen takes Tage’s game to another level and gives them a top notch 1st line.

 

[CobraAcesS]

Even if all what you said were true, the value is still not close because of the contracts. So what are we adding. A 1st? Bo? Ritchie?

I think the only way a realistic trade scenario can be discussed is if it's a trade that involves him extending with the team he's going to.

It just becomes the old own rental thing if they go into the season, and then we can watch them play chicken going into UFA.

 

[Balthazar]

I don't personally have an issue with Lehky's contract. Where I think the issue lies is you have Landy at 7m, Rants at 9.25m (moving to 13 soon), Nuke at 6.125, and Lehky at 4.5. That is too much money invested for the top 6 wings, especially when you include how expensive the defense is too. It is poor cap management. Any chatter of moving Lehky is more about Lehky having actual value while redistributing cap... and the fact that Landy and Nuke are unmovable right now.

Lehkonen is literally our only top 6 wing without question marks around him and the cheapest of the bunch. He's also the exact type of player you win cups with.

When you start moving your good contracts to keep the bad ones you're doomed.

 

[EdAVSfan]

Do you take 1 year of an elite 100 point winger, or 6 years of a 60 point C/W?

There’s no scenario where Buffalo makes a trade for a rental Rantanen before doing their due diligence on a contract extension.

 

[forsbergavs32]

So have we traded for Allen, Kerfoot and Dumba55 yet?

 

[JH21]

I'd move Raftanan after this playoff run unless he just dominates.
I think there are teams that would move a better package than the Duchene trade to get a high end winger.

Duchene was coming off a 41 point season and we got Kyle Turris who was flipped for Girard and Kamanev who both were 2nd round picks and a 2nd round pick in 2018 as well as former 1st round pick Shane Bowers, Andrew Hammond and a 1st and 3rd.

If we were to even entertain trading a 50 goal, 100 point Rantanen we would have to get an absolute haul. Even bigger than what we got for Duchene.

I'm talking multiple 1st round picks, one which has to be a top 10 pick. A legit top 6 forward, a young Dman and some other pieces.

Something like:

Rantanen to Columbus for:

1.4 in 2024 draft and 2025 1st
C- Boone Jenner
C- Kent Johnson
D- Denton Mateychuk

 

[AllAboutAvs]

I'd move Raftanan after this playoff run unless he just dominates.
I think there are teams that would move a better package than the Duchene trade to get a high end winger.

I'd argue that would be the best time to move him because he would be very attractive for other teams that want to contend, and he would be even harder for us to keep as he would be asking for the moon.

 

[Gumballhead]

Moving Rants would either extend our window and make us a more balanced team or completely f*** us, and there's no way to know ahead of time. I can see both side of the argument. I love the dude, but he's going to be the biggest issue soon.