Rumor: Rantanen Extension is Close???

[SirLoinOfCloth]

Ew, I don't want Rantanen's extension anywhere near me. It probably smells like cigs.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

This absolutely sucks, but my brain will probably prevent me from appreciating the big Moose much at all on his next contract. His game is already making feel like he could be doing more, especially defensively. He's going to get a massive raise, and I feel like we've already witnessed year one of his decline.

If he's not signed at the beginning of camp, I'd think very long and hard about the future and then give him my final offer during camp and end negotiations on Day 1 of the regular season. I mean Mikko would be welcomed to sign that offer at any time but after Day 1 of the regular season, I'd probably go ahead and give notice to all GMs that I would welcome any proposals they may have for Mikko anytime between now and the deadline. If there is something there that is potentially more valuable than just this one last run with Mikko think long and hard about it. But there's a good chance Mikko is likely still on the roster after the deadline. The difference is in my scenario, he's already seen our best offer. He's going to be free to talk to people on July 1. Yeah, he can come back and ask us to match what he gets, but I'd be asking him to match what we offered him previously instead.

Mikko Rantannan is a legend and great player and a couple of years ago was the best in RW in the NHL. But when you look at our team, he can not be the player that we are bankrupting all future depth over. Not at his age, his position and his inability to consistently carry his own line.

MacKinnon, Makar, yeah I get it. They both play a more valuable position and have shown a great ability to elevate everyone around them. MacKinnon is finally getting his rewards, Makar got a pretty hefty RFA deal and is going to absolutely cash in on his next deal.

Rants though was one of the very first RFAs to get paid HUGE. He's also sadly, not on the same tier as either Nate or Cale. I could see 13M making sense for a team like Seattle, Utah, Minnesota, St Louis, Columbus, Montreal, Islanders or the Senators but I don't believe it should make sense for the Avalanche.

 

[Lonewolfe2015]

Came here wondering who else felt like me and see a great post from Tex. I love Rants but I can't appreciate him with anywhere near the cap he's going to be playing for if he plays anywhere like he did last season going forward.

This is how cup contenders fall when they cling too tightly to their stars.

 

[Ararana]

Came here wondering who else felt like me and see a great post from Tex. I love Rants but I can't appreciate him with anywhere near the cap he's going to be playing for if he plays anywhere like he did last season going forward.

This is how cup contenders fall when they cling too tightly to their stars.

I've been getting metaphorical poo flung at me for over a year saying the Avs needed to trade Rantanen before the 24-25 season. So yeah, there are others who feel the same as you. And with Mitts only extended for three years (jesus f***, cMac) giving Rantanen an extension is going to make it even harder to find another 2C down the road.

The Avs have basically been wildly mismanaged since they won the cup. At this point, I'm kind of shocked they managed to put together a cup team to begin with.

 

[NorthernAvsFan]

Hopefully Mikko doesn’t take every penny like Drai did with the Oilers.

 

[henchman21]

Hopefully Mikko doesn’t take every penny like Drai did with the Oilers.

I personally don't feel Drai even did that. He could have gotten 15m if he wanted to hit the market. He took a little less AAV, got an eighth year, and a slight break on the amount... but not a ton (like most top players).

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

My biggest issue is that we will become new Chicago after these massive deals. Toews and Kane maxed out. Not that it was wrong but it left no space to make any moves which killed them in the end.

 

[LOFIN]

My biggest issue is that we will become new Chicago after these massive deals. Toews and Kane maxed out. Not that it was wrong but it left no space to make any moves which killed them in the end.

That's how the life works in the NHL baby. Very few teams can avoid it and remain competitive for a long period of time. Your good players start to earn what they deserve --> you need younger players to step in and do it for cheap BUT you can't accumulate picks and prospects when you are good so you are slowly bleeding to death... Until you accept you have to start a teardown and do it again.

 

[ABasin]

My biggest issue is that we will become new Chicago after these massive deals. Toews and Kane maxed out. Not that it was wrong but it left no space to make any moves which killed them in the end.

Toews and Kane were 25 and 26 when those 8-year contracts were signed.

 

[henchman21]

That's how the life works in the NHL baby. Very few teams can avoid it and remain competitive for a long period of time.

Yup just a fact of life... Once core players start getting their UFA deals, it is hard to sustain. One for just the depth reasons and not having funds. Another because their value relative to their cap hit is so much lower. Yet another, physical regression starts hitting and those players simply are not as good as before. It is the normal cycle and pretty much unavoidable.

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Toews and Kane were 25 and 26 when those 8-year contracts were signed.

And even then it was meh

 

[Bill Peckerskull]

I mean, if they were to trade Rants, where do you trade him? What do you get in return? Certainly picks and prospects doesn't help the team now. You'd have to get at least a couple players that could help immediately and then a couple pick/prospects that can help in the future. But, who has that to give up and then would want to re-sign Mikko to a 8-year, $12M-13M aav deal?

Do you sign him to a shorter term deal, like 4 yaers, and then let him go when he's 31, and could still get a big deal from another team?

 

[Ararana]

That's how the life works in the NHL baby. Very few teams can avoid it and remain competitive for a long period of time. Your good players start to earn what they deserve --> you need younger players to step in and do it for cheap BUT you can't accumulate picks and prospects when you are good so you are slowly bleeding to death... Until you accept you have to start a teardown and do it again.

At least most of the Avs core players won a cup before demanding a shit load of money, unlike Edmonton/Toronto.

 

[Balthazar]

Drai will turn 30 only a month into the first year of his new contract.

 

[henchman21]

Drai will turn 30 only a month into the first year of his new contract.

And Rants will be 29 at the same point.

 

[The Abusement Park]

Came here wondering who else felt like me and see a great post from Tex. I love Rants but I can't appreciate him with anywhere near the cap he's going to be playing for if he plays anywhere like he did last season going forward.

This is how cup contenders fall when they cling too tightly to their stars.

But losing a top ~10 offensive weapon in the league is also a sure way to fall from contention.

 

[Balthazar]

And Rants will be 29 at the same point.

In Drai case that’s why I don’t believe in the 8th year discount.

 

[henchman21]

In Drai case that’s why I don’t believe in the 8th year discount.

Malkin at roughly the same age got a deal with term for >6m.

 

[cinchronicity]

I mean, if they were to trade Rants, where do you trade him? What do you get in return? Certainly picks and prospects doesn't help the team now. You'd have to get at least a couple players that could help immediately and then a couple pick/prospects that can help in the future. But, who has that to give up and then would want to re-sign Mikko to a 8-year, $12M-13M aav deal?

Do you sign him to a shorter term deal, like 4 yaers, and then let him go when he's 31, and could still get a big deal from another team?

Well, Columbus has a pretty big hole to fill. Perhaps Mikko for Monahan and Marchenko and a 2025 1st?

The Mikko situation is a cyclic argument since the Avs best shot at another cup would be WITH Mikko this year. That said, almost immediately that causes issues. It means Drouin and LOC are likely gone next year. It locks the Avs into goalies at the $3M to $4M max. It makes resigning Mitts pretty difficult and I don't even want to think about the next Makar contract. In short, the Avs have one more bite at the apple, then turn into Maple Leafs West (or Edmonton South.)

I just do not see Landy retiring. Nor do I see him returning as 1LW. So either the Avs have a $7M 3LW or Landy on LTIR for another 5 years, thus eliminating any cap accruals for the foreseeable future.

As for Nuke, I can't see anyone trading anything more than a bag of pucks for him at this point. Any of the buyout discussions mean the Avs get hit with a cap penalty in the $2M to $3M range. Where is that cap room coming from? So it may just be that we have to grin and bear our lives with the Cocaine Cowboy.

Obviously, CMac ( and several HF Avs posters) know way the hell more than I do about all three issues. But, personally, I would be willing to sacrifice the 2024-25 chance at a cup with Mikko for 5 lesser chances without him.

Drouin - Mac - Nuke
Lehky - Mitts - Monahan
Landy - Colton - Marchenko
Wood - Kelly - LOC

This would fit under the cap considering Nuke's pro-rated year. Next season, that gives LOC a bump up to $2.5 and Drouin up to $5M ( providing he proves himself.) If the Columbus trade works, then Marchenko joins the list with Mitts, Makar and Lehky as UFA 3 years from now, so CMac will need all the cap increases the CBA can find.

 

[Snow Arc]

Yup just a fact of life... Once core players start getting their UFA deals, it is hard to sustain. One for just the depth reasons and not having funds. Another because their value relative to their cap hit is so much lower. Yet another, physical regression starts hitting and those players simply are not as good as before. It is the normal cycle and pretty much unavoidable.

I know how to avoid it...

 

[Lonewolfe2015]

But losing a top ~10 offensive weapon in the league is also a sure way to fall from contention.

That's only if the offense they generate overcomes the loss of depth due to cap. I'm losing faith Rants does. There was a clear difference in his effort the last two years and if this is the start of his decline, I'd rather have two Mitts than one Rants. Y'know?

 

[expatriatedtexan]

I know how to avoid it...

*Tonya Harding has entered the chat...

 

[AvsMakar08]

I've been getting metaphorical poo flung at me for over a year saying the Avs needed to trade Rantanen before the 24-25 season. So yeah, there are others who feel the same as you. And with Mitts only extended for three years (jesus f***, cMac) giving Rantanen an extension is going to make it even harder to find another 2C down the road.

The Avs have basically been wildly mismanaged since they won the cup. At this point, I'm kind of shocked they managed to put together a cup team to begin with.

We already have our 2nd C in making. His name is Richie. Has anyone here have seen Richie?

 

[The Abusement Park]

Well, Columbus has a pretty big hole to fill. Perhaps Mikko for Monahan and Marchenko and a 2025 1st?

A trade like this closes the window infinitely faster than re signing Mikko would.

That's only if the offense they generate overcomes the loss of depth due to cap. I'm losing faith Rants does. There was a clear difference in his effort the last two years and if this is the start of his decline, I'd rather have two Mitts than one Rants. Y'know?

But we are fine with putting all our faith in Landy and Nuke? Mikko for all his warts is still one of the best offensive forces in the NHL. Landy, love the guy he's the best captains in the NHL, has so many questions in his return and is also at a point when he'd be declining regardless of his injury.

Nuke... self explanatory.

There's just all this talk about getting rid of Mikko, but what are we doing to replace what would become 1) a huge hole in the team and 2)how are we making the top 6 actually half decent and not horribly top heavy?

 

[Lonewolfe2015]

There's just all this talk about getting rid of Mikko, but what are we doing to replace what would become 1) a huge hole in the team and 2)how are we making the top 6 actually half decent and not horribly top heavy?

Well I think it's not the same thing to put all our eggs in Landy/Nuke or keep Rants. People can be skeptical on Landy's health and Nuke's ability to stay on the straight and narrow but not want to be saddled by Rants' contract too.

Ottawa and San Jose both won the Karlsson trades and in Ottawa's case he wasn't even hinting at declining. It's possible to do a 3-4 piece trade with the right team and retool, ala Chicago moving Buff, Ladd, etc. If Rants was Kane it wouldn't even be a question.

Granted no trade is better than a bad trade. Which is always the possible outcome.