The Colorado Avalanche pulled the trigger on a massive trade last night, sending Mikko Rantanen to the Caroline Hurricanes in a 3 team deal. The Blackhawks facilitated the deal with some cap retention on Rantanen’s contract and the Avs received Martin Necas, Jack Drury, a 2025 2nd RD pick and a 2026 3rd RD pick.
When I looked at the Avalanche last spring, it was clear that their forward group had taken the brunt of the cap attrition following their Stanley Cup run in 2022. The Avs still boast one of the best defense corps in the NHL, particularly their top 3 with Cale Makar, Devon Toews and Sam Girard. Finding a way to build their forward depth back up looked like the key to Colorado continuing on as a perennial cup contender.
After a slow start to the season, the Avs recognized a need for change, but it was goaltending that needed immediate attention. The Avs made a couple of trades to change out their goaltending tandem. Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood replaced Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen. The Avsclearly have high hopes that Blackwood can stabilize their crease, since they followed up his acquisition with a long term extension.
With their goaltending addressed and some early season injury woes behind them, the Avalanche have recovered from their slow start and now sit squarely in the playoff picture in the Western Conference. They’re far from a clear cup cup favorite this season though, and their forward depth has been a topic of conversation for a while.
Reports are that the Avalanche realized they would not be able to extend Rantanen. That may very well be true given Colorado’s limited cap flexibility over the next couple of seasons. Cale Makar’s deal that expires after the 26/27 season has been thrown out as a reason they couldn’t afford Rantanen but I think it’s actually the three seasons remaining on Makar’s deal where the Avs cap complications lie.
Either way, the Avs were aware that they were not in a position to extend Rantanen and they decided not to let him walk for nothing. Teambuilding Tenet #8: Regenerate the Roster became the focus and the Avs were able to acquire two players that can help them now and a couple of draft picks to help restock a depleted futures pipeline.
The Avalanche have been perhaps the NHL’s busiest team on the trade market through the first half of the season, certainly if you consider the impact level of the players they’ve dealt. The Rantanen blockbuster was a step toward rebuilding their forward depth but came at the cost of a legitimate star. There is still work to do, but the Avs seem to have a plan and are following some smart roster building practices. They are still in the mix this season, but have also recognized an opportunity to make a change that helps set them up to remain competitive long term.
