The Colorado Avalanche started and ended the 2024–25 NHL season with disappointment. They had a slow beginning, finishing 13-12-0 in the early games, and their season ended with a tough loss in Game 7 of the first playoff round against the Dallas Stars. Ironically, the player who helped beat them was Mikko Rantanen – the same star they traded away earlier in the season.
But in between these low points, the Avalanche made some of the most surprising and bold roster changes of the year.
Why the Avalanche Traded Mikko Rantanen
Avalanche President Joe Sakic explained the decision to trade Rantanen. He said that while it hurts to see Rantanen succeed on another team, the move was not just about one player.
Sakic said, “We weren’t deep enough.” By trading Rantanen, Colorado was able to spread their talent and money across more players. This helped improve their overall team strength.
If Rantanen had stayed, he would have taken a big part of the team’s salary budget. He has now signed a $12 million per year deal with Dallas. That kind of money would have limited Colorado’s options to sign other strong players.
Who Came to Colorado After the Trade?
Instead of holding on to Rantanen and risking a top-heavy lineup, the Avalanche chose to get:
Martin Necas (right winger)
Jack Drury (center)
Brock Nelson, Ryan Lindgren, and Charlie Coyle (trade deadline signings)
After these trades, the Avalanche improved their performance and went 21-10-2, showing that their team balance had gotten better.
What This Means for the Salary Cap
With Rantanen gone, Colorado has around $8.7 million in salary cap space. That gives them flexibility to re-sign useful players like Nelson or Lindgren, and maybe even add another mid-level player. If Rantanen had stayed, the team would have struggled to afford more than league-minimum players around him, Nathan MacKinnon, and Cale Makar.
This is a key reason why the Avalanche chose balance over superstars.
Comparing to the Maple Leafs’ Strategy
Other teams, like the Toronto Maple Leafs, have taken a different path. Toronto has invested big money in four forwards — Matthews, Marner, Tavares, and Nylander. That means the rest of their team is made up of cheaper players. While this helped them reach the second round of the playoffs, it limits how strong the full team can be.
If Toronto gets knocked out by the Florida Panthers, their management might face pressure to rebuild like Colorado has done.
Looking Ahead to the 2025–26 Season
With more cap space and the return of captain Gabriel Landeskog, the Avalanche could be even stronger next year. A full season with their deeper, more balanced team could lead to more wins and a longer playoff run.
This year’s bold decisions by Joe Sakic and GM Chris MacFarland may not have been perfect, but in the long run, they might have set up the Avalanche for lasting success.
The Colorado Avalanche made a tough call by trading star Mikko Rantanen, but the decision helped create a more balanced team. It gave them the cap space to improve depth and plan for a stronger future. Though losing to Dallas stings, especially with Rantanen on the other side, the move could lead to a much better season in 2025–26. In the end, building a full team instead of relying on just a few stars may be the winning formula.
