Avаlаncһe’ѕ Mіkko Rаntаnen Trаde Stіll on tһe Tаble

The Colorado Avalanche may soon face a defining decision on star Mikko Rantanen with the forward playing the final year of his contract with the Avs.According to TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie, in a trade list published at the outlet at the start of 2025, Rantanen ranks 20th out of 25 Avalanche players in a “most likely to least likely to be traded” rank.Per David Calabretta of Full Press Hockey and The Fourth Period, Lavoie said that the Avalance “will trade him” if Colorado “can’t extend Rantanen” ahead of the March 7 NHL trade deadline.Back in mid-December, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Colorado was hesitant to pay Rantanen more than Nathan MacKinnon’s $12.6 million annual cap hit, the highest in franchise history.The Avs right winger has 60 points in 44 games this season, scoring 25 goals and assisting 35 times for Colorado while posting a plus-12 plus/minus.Rantanen’s deal carries a $9.25 million cap hit with the forward set to enter unrestricted free agency on July 1.While the rising NHL salary cap could give Colorado extra room for operation, it will also complicate matters further, as it provides leverage for players like Rantanen to demand higher deals on a cap-percentage basis.According to PuckPedia, MacKinnon’s cap hit of $12.6 million took 15.09% of the Avalanche’s salary cap. If Rantanen signs for a slightly lower percentage of 15% under the new cap, expected to reach $92.4 million, he’d already earn $13.86 million per season and easily top MacKinnon’s salary.That’s why TSN’s Pierre LeBrun thinks that figure is a realistic target for Rantanen.“I will tell you, right now, I think Rantanen believes he can make $14M AAV on the open market,” LeBrun said on TSN’s “Insider Trading” on Nov. 28.A trade would shake the foundation of the Avalanche, who are widely considered a team with Stanley Cup aspirations and in the middle of their window of contention. That said, the Avs are currently occupying a wild-card spot with a 26-17-1 record, so if their season gets slightly derailed from now to March 7, there is a chance the franchise opts for a retool by trading Rantenen instead of keeping him in tow and losing him for nothing next summer.