Give Moose his juice.
Let’s say, eight years at $101 million. Everybody gets what they want. Mikko Rantanen, the good solider and Nathan MacKinnon’s literal right-hand man, becomes a $100-million player. The Avs get him in on a deal with an average annual value of $12.6 — the same number as MacKinnon’s $12.6 million per season.
But the depth!
But what? Did you watch the Avalanche’s wild, wide-open 6-3 win over Dallas on Saturday during a rare matinee at Ball Arena? The Avs’ hottest line right now is its second one, with the trio of Jonathan Drouin, Casey Mittelstadt and Artturi Lehkonen accounting for four goals and 10 points against the Stars.