Opinion: Mikko Rantanen won’t be traded. Deal with it.

It’s another off-season, and some Avs fans have found a new scapegoat!

Part of me didn’t think writing this article was worth the time. Still, Mikko Rantanen is the new scapegoat for some Avalanche fans, who seem to find new and unrivaled levels of delirium every season, so here we are. If you think the Colorado Avalanche should trade Mikko Rantanen, please give me your potential return in the comments. Let me explain why trading one of the League’s top 10 forwards would be terrible for business.

Elite players don’t grow on trees

If Mikko went without an extension from the Colorado Avalanche, 31 other teams would be chomping at the bit to secure his services. He’s 27 years old and in the middle of his prime, coming off back-to-back 100+ point seasons. To put things in perspective, only seven other players in the League accomplished that last regular season. For more perspective, only 126 NHLers have ever scored more than 100 points.

When he scored 105 points in the 2022-23 season, he did so without his linemate Nathan MacKinnon for an eleven-game stretch in which he carried an otherwise depleted and injured Avalanche team to the postseason.

Guys like Mikko don’t just fall into an organization’s lap. I think I’ve made my point with one paragraph, but in case it hasn’t been hammered home, Mikko is among the top ten all-time in PPG in the playoffs. You know the time of year when scoring gets more complex and only the strong survive?

‘Mikko is Lazy’

This take is just about as foolish as they get. If Arturri Lehkonen’s dad hadn’t accused Mikko of easing up in the offseason, no one would be talking about this. Let’s remember that Mikko was thoroughly and outwardly pissed when Ismo’s quote hit the room. He clearly takes pride in being viewed as a consummate and hard-working professional.

“Show me a video of him winning in the corners.” Mikko steals pucks from guys without them even realizing it. Mikko uses his elite hand-eye coordination to bat pucks out of mid-air, and if he’s the last man back, you will see nothing but effort.

To actually want Mikko to be winning in the corners like peak-era Landeskog is just naive, to begin with. Mikko has always been kind to use his size to take his finesse game to unstoppable heights. He’s not easily dispossessed and consistently ends up in the top 3-5 players in terms of ice time on any night. His shooting ability is almost unmatched in accuracy and power, and he’s often in the right place at the right time to take full advantage of that shooting ability.

Avs will get the Moose at a discount

We have seen time and time again how Joe Sakic and Chris MacFarland can get core players to take team-friendly deals. Look no further than last season’s re-signing of Devon Toews. I thought the Avalanche should trade Toewser because I didn’t see a world where Avalanche management could keep him around affordably. Boy, was I wrong?

The same will hold for Mikko Rantanen, who, in my opinion, will agree to a deal for less AAV than MacKinnon. I see him coming in at the 11-11.5M dollar range for 7-8 years any day now. Keep in mind anyone else would be paying top dollar for Mikko Rantanen. If he were to hit the open market, he’d be among the most expensive free agents and likely score 13-13.5M dollars.

The Moose won’t get loose

Please make no mistake: the Avalanche aren’t going to let Mikko Rantanen walk, and they aren’t going to trade him. His contract will lay the time frame and foundation for Colorado’s new Stanley Cup window. That’s what elite players do. They take you from playoff appearances to Stanley Cup Championships.

Let me know what you think in the comments!