Colorado Avalanche sign restricted free agent Mikko Rantanen to 6-year deal
They were cutting it pretty close, but Mikko Rantanen and the Colorado Avalanche reportedly sorted out a new contract for the Finnish star on Saturday evening.
According to Mike Kelly of the NHL Network and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the six-year deal is expected to carry an average annual value of $9.25 million.
The official Twitter account for the Colorado Avalanche confirmed the news a couple of hours after the original reports came out.
“Signing Mikko to a long-term deal has been a priority, and we are excited to have him under contract for the next six years,” Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic said, according to NHL.com. “Mikko has established himself as one of the premier young wingers in the NHL and is a big part of our core group. We look forward to having him back with the team as we get ready to start the season.”
The 22-year-old has been a crucial offensive contributor for the squad since being selected tenth overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. Playing on the right wing alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog, Rantanen completes one of the deadliest lines in the league.
His hot start to the 2018-19 campaign had him leading the NHL in scoring for a number of weeks. He went on to finish the year with career highs in goals (31), assists (56) and points (87) in 74 regular-season contests. He continued his consistent play in the postseason with six goals and 14 points in 12 playoff games.
According to CapFriendly, Colorado currently has a little more than $6.3 million in cap space. The team has just over $75 million committed to their current roster of 24. With the NHL roster limit being 23, the amount of cap space that Sakic will have once the season kicks off will only increase.
Rantanen has 80 goals and 209 points in 239 NHL regular-season games.
The 2019 All-Star was skating alongside Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine with SC Bern in Switzerland while negotiations were taking place.
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