Restricted free agent Mikko Rantanen did not participate in Avalanche captain’s practice Thursday, a possible bargaining chip that his agents told him to play a week before veterans are scheduled to report for training camp.
Rantanen, a 22-year-old All-Star who has 209 points in 239 career games, is among a handful of high-end RFAs coming out of their entry-level contracts, and the first one to sign is expected to establish the market for the others. Toronto’s Mitch Marner and Braydon Point of Tampa Bay are Rantanen’s closest comparisons, and all three could miss some, if not all, of training camp and preseason.