Insider Projects "Monster" Numbers For Mikko Rantanen's Next Deal

Mikko Rantanen is now in the final season of his six-year, $9.25 million AAV contract. Extension talks have been quiet up till now, but that hasn't stopped plugged-in hockey insider David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period from projecting what the Colorado Avalanche will likely have to pay to re-sign the Finnish star.

The biggest issue the Avs will face is whether or not they're comfortable making Rantanen their highest-paid player, ahead of superstar Nathan MacKinnon and his $12.6 million cap hit that is only into the second of eight seasons.

Pagnotta feels that, due to the rising salary cap, Rantanen will indeed top MacKinnon—if Colorado hopes to keep him. While MacKinnon came in at 15% of the $83.5 million cap from last year, "Rantanen will earn more than MacKinnon, based on his percentage of the cap in Year 1 of his deal."

I am honestly not sure of how much of an appetite the Avs have in giving Rantanen more than MacKinnon, but the cap is only going to go up, and if we're focussing on percentage of the cap, Rantanen's demands are justified.

The cap is expected to jump from this season's $88 million to a whopping $92.5 million next season, when Rantanen's deal would kick in.

Pagnotta says there's definitely an argument to be made that Rantanen's next deal would come in north of MacKinnon's $12.6 million AAV.

How soon will something get done? Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland has indicated that his "phone line is always open."

But on the other hand, he's also been quoted as saying "These are not easy deals to do. The player obviously has the UFA right to go, and the club has to make smart decisions, both for the short-term and long-term.

So let's just say that there's nothing imminent. As Pagotta notes, "if Rantanen's camp pushes for $13M+, this could get dragged out until June."

Rantanen, 29, has topped the 100-point mark in each of the last two seasons, with 97 goals total over that span.