4 'Dream' Landing Spots Named for Rantanen If Avalanche Trade Pending UFA

After a slow start, the Colorado Avalanche have now won five of their last six games going into Wednesday's games. With 14 points in 10 games, star forward Mikko Rantanen is certainly doing his part to help the cause.

But Rantanen is in the final season of his six-year, $9.25 million AAV deal. He is an impending unrestricted free agent. And while rumors during the summer seemed to indicate that it shouldn't be a problem for the Avs to get an extension done, they don't seem to be any closer, as the team is reluctant to pay Rantanen more than their resident best player Nathan MacKinnon ($12.6 million AAV).

With that in mind, Adam Gretz (yes, nice hockey name) of Bleacher Report recently suggested these four "dream" landing spots if the Avalanche were to do the unthinkable, and trade Rantanen.

Boston Bruins

The Bruins still consider themselves a Stanley Cup contender, and, as Gretz notes, they lack an impact scorer at the center position, a spot that Rantanen can play. He also lists the Bruins's awful offensive analytics thus far this season in their disappointing 4-5-1 start, including 30th in the NHL in shot attempts, and 27th in expected goals per 60 minutes.

Carolina Hurricanes

They lost Jake Guentzel in free agency this past summer, and while they have plenty of talent and still should be considered a serious Cup contender, "they still do not have a true superstar player at the top of the lineup," writes Gretz. Rantanen would certainly solve that.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers upped their talent level significantly this season with the addition of Matvei Michkov, though it hasn't paid off in results in the standings yet, as they sit at 3-6-1 and in 7th place in the Metro Division. As exciting as Michkov is, adding a proven veteran superstar talent like Rantanen could take this team to a new level.

Utah Hockey Club

Looking to excite their new fanbase, the 'HC' went after some big splashes on the blueline this past summer, adding Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino (the latter is unfortunately out for several months). But imagine the thrill bringing in a player like Rantanen could bring. "Adding a bona fide top-line talent and superstar would help energize a new fanbase and potentially help them leap to contender status," writes Gretz.

Again, these are only "dream" scenarios, but they're sure fun to think about (unless you're an Avalanche fan).