Mikko Rantanen: What’s Goin’ On?

The Summer of Uncertainty continues to slog on. Today, let’s talk about one of the standout 22-year-old in the NHL, Mikko Rantanen of the Colorado Avalanche.

Mikko Rantanen is an absolute unit and treat to watch on the ice. A left winger at 6’2″, 215 lbs, this kid plays with such beautiful fineness that’s rare to find. Rantanen was drafted to the Avalanche in 2015, 10th overall. Since then, the kid has played in 239 games with the team, scoring 80 goals, 129 assists for 209 points. He has 112 PIMs, a -19 rating, and 22.2 estimated career point shares.

This season was great for Rantanen, he played in 74 games with 31 goals and 56 assists (87 points) while averaging 20:51 on the ice per game. He had a +13 rating this season and a corsi for 53.9%. He had a fantastic line with Gabe Landeskog and Nate MacKinnon. In playoffs, Rantanen performed well, in 12 games with 6 goals and 8 assists for 14 points. He averaged 21:39 minutes on the ice.

Joe Sakic, the Avs GM, talked with Ryan Clark of the Athletic on July 8th about Rantanen’s contract. Sakic said he’d like to sign Mikko to a long-term contract but would settle for a short-term or bridge contracnt. He also talked about how the signings of Timo Meier and Sebastian Aho help pave the way for Rantanen’s contract range.

Yet, it’s mid-August and Rantanen is still unsigned.

The Avs have $16,465,239 in Cap Space so signing Mikko wouldn’t be a budget breaker. Mikko is their only RFA left on the Avs and he’s vital to the team. He is a player that Sakic would regret letting slip through the cracks.

Featured Image: Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images