Mikko Rantanen finally breaks his silence on his future with the Avalanche

Mikko Rantanen will sign a big, long-term contract at some point soon. He's not concerned about when.

Still with one year at $9.25 million in average annual value remaining on his deal, Rantanen's set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, unless he and the Colorado Avalanche do a deal before then.

Over the last couple of seasons, Rantanen has cemented himself as a top-five winger in the NHL. Two seasons ago, he netted a career-high 55 goals and followed that up with back-to-back 100+ point seasons, including this one.

Over the last four seasons, Rantanen has potted 163 goals. There are only four players ahead of him during that time: Auston Matthews (210), Leon Draisaitl (179), Connor McDavid (173), and David Pastrnak (168).

Each of those players carries at least an $11.25-million AAV on his contract. The newest, of course, is Draisaitl, signing an eight-year contract that kicks in next season with a league-record $14-million AAV, placing him as the highest-paid player in the hockey world, passing Matthews at $13.25 million.

Rantanen is obviously due a hefty raise, but the size of his next contract will impact how the Avalanche map out their long-term salary cap strategy. This year, the NHL salary cap increased to $88 million, a $4.5-million bump, the first healthy increase since the pandemic. Projections suggest the cap could increase again next year, perhaps to about $92 million.

The Avalanche already have major financial commitments to key players. But with the salary cap continuing to rise, multiple players on eight-figure contracts are easier for Colorado to carry. Vegas' Jack Eichel became the first player to win the Stanley Cup with a $10 million-plus AAV in 2023 and the Florida Panthers followed in 2024 with two eight-figure contracts, Aleksander Barkov and Sergei Bobrovsky. The $9.5 million deal that Matthew Tkachuk signed with Florida further shows how the big-ticket teams manage big salaries.