A reminder that the Avalanche reportedly traded Mikko Rantanen over trivial amount of money
A reminder that the Avalanche reportedly traded Mikko Rantanen over trivial amount of money
The Colorado Avalanche are never going to live the disastrous Mikko Rantanen trade down. Especially not after Rantanen's epic Game 7 hat trick for the Dallas Stars to eliminate his former team on Saturday night. For a player of Rantanen's elite caliber, someone who won the 2022 Stanley Cup with the organization, it might rightfully already be known as the worst trade in Avalanche history.
After Rantanen's iconic performance, it's worth remembering that the Avalanche traded him away to the Carolina Hurricanes over a trivial amount of money earlier this season. Carolina would later flip him to Dallas. According to The Daily Faceoff, Rantanen, a 28-year-old superstar with at least 100 points in his last two full seasons in Colorado, was actually willing to take a discount to stay with the Avalanche. In fact, when it came to final negotiations with the Avalanche, only $500,000 apparently wound up separating both parties.
I know that $500,000 is a lot of money for most of us regular folks. No one's denying that. But it's insignificant in the context of a lucrative long-term contract for one of the NHL's best players. Even in the context of saving money for superstar Cale Makar's eventual extension, it's wild that the Avalanche weren't willing to meet Rantanen halfway in the middle of a Stanley Cup window. That decision wound up backfiring in the worst way possible.
The Avalanche weren't willing to pay Rantanen what he was worth. He eventually made them pay with their season.
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