Mikko Rantanen: Eric Engels believes that the CH would do everything to sign him this summer.

The more time goes on, the more doubts there are concerning Mikko Rantanen’s future in Colorado.

And the reason is simple: the Avalanche may not have the resources necessary to pay him what he’s worth, especially since the forward is currently in the last year of his contract.

If he hasn’t signed a new contract by July 1, Rantanen will be a free agent.

The possibility of the Avalanche trading him before the deadline has thus been mentioned (by Renaud Lavoie).

But even if Rantanen is traded by March 7… That doesn’t mean he will agree to the terms of a new contract with his new team.

There exists a scenario where he decides to test the free-agent market to see how much money he can get… And if that happens, Eric Engels believes the Canadiens will do everything to bring him to town.

It’s just my opinion, but I think they (the Canadiens) would back a Brinks truck up to Mikko Rantanen’s door if he managed to hit the market. – Eric Engels

For those wondering: the Brinks company is known for its armored trucks that transport money and valuable goods.

Eric Engels’ reference is spot on.

(OBOXADSQ || []).push({« cmd »: « addBanner »});

There will be salary cap space opening up for the Canadiens this summer.

Christian Dvorak ($4.45M), Joel Armia ($3.4M), and Michael Pezzetta ($812,500) are not expected to return to Montreal, and perhaps we could also consider adding David Savard’s name ($3.5M) to that list.

That already clears more than $10M from the Canadiens’ payroll. But at the same time, they also need to offer new contracts to Evans, Heineman, and Dobes… And we must not forget that Slaf’s next contract ($7.6M per season) will kick in this summer.

There’s also Lane Hutson, who is going to sign a big contract soon… But his big salary would only come into effect for the 2026-27 season.

That said, we know the salary cap is going to increase. But does the Canadiens really have room (short-term and long-term) to offer a monstrous contract to Rantanen?

The question arises because there are rumors that Rantanen could earn up to $14M per season in his next contract:

It should be noted that Patrik Laine and Mikko Rantanen are both from Finland and share the same agent.

Could Laine convince his friend to take a little less money to sign with a team that has what it takes to be competitive for a long time?

Maybe… But in my eyes, that would be the only possible option for Rantanen to wear a Canadiens jersey next October.

Unless Kent Hughes decides to trade one of his big contracts to make room for the Avalanche’s star forward? That’s possible too…

In Brief

– The market is heating up regarding John Klingberg.

– Wow.

– Good point.

– Bravo!

– Indeed.