Avalanche, Mikko Rantanen agree to six-year contract

The nightmare for Avalanche fans is over.

Mikko Rantanen has agreed to a six-year contract worth $55.5 million in total, $9.25M per year.

The contract ensures Colorado gets a very fair price on their star right wing through the bulk of his prime as it is set to expire when he is 28.

The 22-year-old Rantanen is coming off maybe the most productive ELC in Avalanche history as he scored 209 (80g, 129a) points in 239 games played. He registered 87 points (31g, 56a) in just 74 games last season and finished second on the Avalanche in points for the second straight season. He has been among Colorado’s top three goal scorers each of his three years in the NHL.

The structure of the deal follows in regular Avalanche tradition in not containing signing bonus money and being all in salary. It is, however a front-loaded deal in those salaries. The breakdown is:

2019-20: $12M
2020-21: $12M
2021-22: $10M
2022-23: $6M
2023-24: $9.5M
2024-25: $6M

With the potential for a lockout after the 2022 season, it makes sense his lowest salaried year (tied with the final year) comes in the year in which he has the least amount to lose should a work stoppage take place.

This deal comes less than a week before opening night as the Avalanche open their regular season Thursday against the Calgary Flames. What comes next is battling the inconsistent immigration issues that have plagued a handful of late signings this preseason.

Players such as Kevin Fiala (Switzerland) and Pavel Zacha (Czech Republic) took over a week to get their immigration paperwork squared away. On the other hand, fellow contract stalematee Patrik Laine signed with Winnipeg yesterday and will be at practice with the Jets on Monday.

Immigration between Finland-Canada and Finland-United States could be a bit different so the timeline on Rantanen is unsure. As previously reported two days ago, Rantanen flew back to Helsinki yesterday after his final practice with SC Bern in Switzerland. He will now fly to the United Stated and join his Avalanche teammates.

Slotting Rantanen back into the lineup really solidifies Colorado’s top six and gives them back the juggernaut that was the NHL’s best forward line last season.

While Rantanen returning to Colorado means that is one less spot for one of the six forwards who was vying for a spot, he’s obviously a huge upgrade on any of them and it could allow Andre Burakovsky to cut his teeth on a line with less pressure for perfection right away.

For a team whose secondary scoring was its biggest question mark heading into the offseason, Rantanen’s addition gives them four proven scorers in their top six but also means they have seven players vying for six spots.

It will be interesting to see where Joonas Donskoi, who has been very good this preseason,  Tyson Jost, who has been solid but unspectacular, and Burakovsky, who has looked the worst of the three, all end up slotting in.

But all of that is a problem for tomorrow. Right now the focus is on Rantanen’s deal, which represents a very good value when matched next to Mitch Marner’s six-year contract that will pay him just under $11 million per year.

General manager Joe Sakic has long been known for drawing a tight line in the sand and while Colorado wasn’t thrilled about breaking the $9 million barrier, they didn’t have to go up much and it got the job done.

They now have Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon signed for a combined $15.55 million for the next four seasons. That’s two players who combined for 72 goals, 114 assists, and 186 points last season alone.

The Rantanen signing means Colorado is now done with all of its RFAs and depending on roster decisions will have in the neighborhood of $7 million remaining in cap space.

Per usual here at DNVR, here are some Rantanen fancy charts and graphs to remind you of what you already know: he’s elite.