Elliotte Friedman Reveals Massive Update Regarding Mikko Rantanen And His Future With The Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes recently acquired unrestricted free agent superstar Mikko Rantanen from the Avalanche, and now updates regarding his future are here.
The Carolina Hurricanes shocked the NHL with a massive three-team trade with the Colorado Avalanche and the Chicago Blackhawks, trading for Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall.
Although Hall's trade wasn't a shock, Colorado's loss of Rantanen shocked many. Colorado refused to pay him in terms of his demand, and therefore, trading him seemed a preferable option.
Rantanen, in the last year of his current deal, is reportedly looking for a similar deal to that of Leon Draisaitl's $14 million a year for eight years. That is a salary Colorado will not pay, but Carolina can possibly make an alternative offer.
Elliotte Friedman believes the Hurricanes can offer more than 100 million
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman postulated in the '32 Thoughts Podcast' that Carolina can make a bargain with a lower annual average value but a greater overall value.
«They're going to offer him maybe $100 million,» Friedman said. «Somewhere around there, but they're going to beat $98 million. My guess is they try to keep the AAV around $13 million, maybe a bit less.»
Were Rantanen to go into free agency, the largest agreement for him could have been seven years, worth a potential $98 million. But Carolina can use its eighth year to its advantage, possibly decreasing the AAV but over $100 million overall.
The Blackhawks will take on part of Rantanen's current $9.25 million salary, but whatever comes afterward will be a lot larger. With an increased salary cap, Carolina will have room for negotiation.
Carolina will try to sign him under $14 million a year but will use an eighth year to sign one of the NHL's best forwards long-term.
In four games with Carolina, in which he joined them, Rantanen scored one goal and one assist. Before the trade, in Colorado, he accumulated 25 goals and 39 assists for 64 points.
