It’s unlikely Mikko Rantanen is traded from Colorado, and do they want to add?
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was on NHL Network Radio Morning Skate with Scott Laughlin and Gord Stellick and was asked about the Colorado Avalanche and what they will add at the deadline. As Friedman stated the bigger concern will be the negotiations with Mikko Rantanen.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Scott Laughlin: “Elliotte Friedman here with us for a further couple of moments here on the NHL Morning Skate as we continue looking ahead to four games coming up tonight in the National Hockey League. Winnipeg and Colorado is an interesting one too, and Fridge we had Mark Moser on with us in the last hour and talking about what the Avalanche might be looking for as well in terms of upgrades.
Look, they’ve had guys come in and out of the lineup, and they certainly want to just have everybody back healthy. We’re not sure about (Gabriel) Landeskog. Things look good with him working out, and then you find out, hey, maybe Chris MacFarland, hoping, fingers crossed that maybe it’ll be playoff time when he comes back.
NHL Rumors: Could Mikko Rantanen Make More Than Nathan MacKinnon in Colorado?
I brought up Nazem Kadri and just how integral he was to the Avalanche winning the Stanley Cup a couple of years ago. Still, remember you on the ice and talking with him right after they won that cup in ’22. Do you still think that the Colorado Avalanche are going to look to address either the back end or maybe even focus a little bit more firmly on that second-line center position?”
Elliotte Friedman: “I got to think they’re going to look hard at that second-line center position. I started hearing some things like Mittelstadt has been struggling. I’ve been watching a little bit more. They’re giving the tell, right, Scott. Their, they’ve tried some other things there now, like Mikko Rantanen here and there from time to time. So that gives me, they’re not happy with what they’ve got there.
I think the biggest thing about the aAvalanche is, how are they going to handle the Rantanen? What are they going to do here? Now, there’s been some reports that maybe they deal Rantanen. I think they’re going to wait to see how this all plays out around March 7th. I think that’s a little bit premature. However, there’s no question to me, Scott, that this has become a bigger challenge, and probably the number one thing on the Avalanche radar pre-March 7 is, how are they going to handle Rantanen.
NHL Rumors: Mikko Rantanen Will Get Top Five Money on His Next Contract
The thing is, is that I was talking to another executive the other day, and we were chatting about it, and he said, You know what I would do? And I said, What’s that? He goes, I would pay him. I go, Really? He goes, Yeah, even if it meant I had to blow my salary structure, I would pay him. And I said, Okay, I understand why. And he goes because you can’t replace those guys.
And so I think that Rantanen is the elite of the elite, right? So to me, the biggest question the Avalanche have is not second-line center or not D, I think you’re talking about a foundational decision about your hockey team, and that is, what are you doing with Rantanen?”
NHLRumors.com Note: As RG Media reported over the weekend, the talks with Rantanen will go down to the wire. This could be a last-minute situation. Trading him is not on the table because they would be a worse team if they did move him out. The reality for the Avalanche is Rantanen probably will get more than Nathan MacKinnon.
