Keeler: Boo Mikko Rantanen? They’d make you turn in your Subaru Outbacks and ban you to Nebraska for even suggesting it in January. But oh, how times have changed. Nathan MacKinnon’s old wing man on the Avalanche couldn’t get a long-term deal worked out in Colorado, so general manager Chris MacFarland shipped him off to Carolina in late January. Then Carolina couldn’t get a deal done either, so the ‘Canes shipped him off to … Dallas. Then the Stars signed him for eight years on a deal that was in the ballpark of what was reportedly offered by the Avs. I understand Texas has no state personal income tax (Colorado ranks 18th-lowest), yada-yada-yada. But I also can’t blame Avs fans for looking at the Moose in green (yuck) and feeling as if they just took a stick to the face. And I won’t bear a grudge against Ball Arena faithful give Mikko a mixed reception when he returns to Denver on Sunday. What say you?
Masisak: My guess? Cheers during the welcome back video, but it won’t be the long, thunderous ovation he deserves. And some boos at other points. There’s a lot of nuance and context packed into a six-week whirlwind that led to this point. Rantanen didn’t want to leave. He thought he’d finish his career here. Even when negotiations weren’t leading to a new deal, Rantanen (and his teammates) thought this would work out just like it did with Gabe Landeskog in 2021 when he signed hours before becoming a free agent. But the Avs were willing to move on. And there were plenty of teams out there willing to pay Rantanen more than what the Avs had offered.
Keeler: Let me be clear: Rantanen is an Avs legend who, like his old pals Nate and Gabe, should one day have his number hanging from the Ball Arena rafters. The Moose led the 2021-22 Cup champs in regular season scoring and led all Avs forwards in postseason points. Lord Stanley doesn’t return to the Front Range without him. And, yes, the Avs were the ones to ship him out of town in the first place. It’s not so much that he got dealt to a hated division rival. It’s that he then signed a long-term deal, at age 28, with a hated division rival. This was Kyle Freeland signing with the Giants. Or Ed McCaffrey signing with the Raiders. Or Aaron Gordon signing with the Lakers. It just feels wrong.
Masisak: Rantanen (and the Hurricanes) dealt with some real bad luck/timing. He barely spent any time in Raleigh because of road trips and the 4 Nations tournament. He was stunned the Avs weren’t bluffing and actually traded him. He had a very short amount of time to weigh his future. Carolina offered him more money than Colorado, and reportedly was willing to offer even more, but he didn’t love the fit and didn’t have time to fall in love with it.
Keeler: Know what? I don’t fault Mikko for wanting to get out of Carolina. Or for wanting to latch onto a winner. But the fact he looked west, and that he looked to Dallas? That comes off as personal. Would the Moose in Edmonton, for example, feel any less painful? Probably not. And I get it. Business decisions, blah, blah, blah. But I’ll also guarantee you this: Nobody in Ball Arena would have anything but love for Rantanen if he’d signed a long-term deal with, say, the Florida Panthers.
Masisak: The deal he signed with Dallas is worth about $6 million more (after taxes) than Colorado’s best reported offer. That’s a lot of money. He didn’t want to leave, but after he did … Dallas and Florida were the two obvious best fits for him. Florida didn’t have Logan Stankoven and two first-round picks to trade. A bunch of other teams also tried. In the end, he didn’t chase the biggest contract, and he didn’t choose Dallas out of spite. He’s not Matt Duchene. He’s not a traitor. He deserves a great tribute video and long ovation Sunday … and then he can be the enemy when Dallas is here during the first round of the playoffs next month.
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