Overview

• Joe Sakic publicly justified the trade of Mikko Rantanen, citing the financial strain of retaining three high-salary stars and the need for roster depth.
• Rantanen was traded from Colorado to Carolina in January and then moved to Dallas in March, where he signed an eight-year, $96 million contract.
• The Avalanche acquired Martin Necas, Brock Nelson, Jack Drury, and Charlie Coyle in exchange for Rantanen, but the group underperformed in the playoffs with only 12 combined points in Round 1.
• Rantanen leads all playoff scorers with 15 points in eight games and has voiced a competitive drive to outperform Colorado, expressing frustration over the team’s unwillingness to meet his contract demands.
• Nick Kypreos revealed Rantanen would have stayed in Colorado if the team had matched Dallas' $12 million annual offer, but trade negotiations progressed within 48 hours of his flexibility statement.