Avs President Joe Sakic breaks his silence on blockbuster Mikko Rantanen trade: "They know where they were at before trade was made"

Colorado Avalanche president Joe Sakic opened up about the events involving the Mikko Rantanen trade earlier this season.

During a media availability following the Avalanche’s first-round elimination at the hands of the Dallas Stars, Sakic offered the following insights into Rantanen's trade to the Carolina Hurricanes:

“I was part of everything that was going on. It's a tough decision trading a guy like that. But you look at where we were in the last few years—we weren’t good enough, we weren’t deep enough. We won in ‘22 because we had our stars, but we were also deep. You can’t win the Stanley Cup without it. Status quo wasn’t good enough.”

Rantanen was a crucial member of the 2022 team that ousted the Tampa Bay Lightning for the franchise’s third Stanley Cup. However, Rantanen, an impending free agent at the time, seemed unlikely to agree on a contract extension with Colorado.

That situation prompted the Avs to make a deal. Sakic expanded on the matter:

“We wanted to have him signed. I’m not going to go into details and talk about negotiations, but they know where they were at before the trade was made.”

Mikko Rantanen’s reluctance to sign an extension before the trade deadline forced the Avalanche’s hand. The return from Carolina was substantial, including talented winger Martin Necas.

Rantanen was subsequently traded by the Hurricanes to the Dallas Stars at the deadline, as he was unwilling to sign an extension. The deal to Dallas was contingent on an extension, with Rantanen eventually signing an eight-year contract with the Stars.

The Stars eliminated the Avalanche in seven games in their first-round series, with Rantanen notching a hat trick in the series-clinching game.

Mikko Rantanen trade helped Colorado Avalanche get deeper

Rantanen played for the Dallas Stars, Carolina Hurricanes, and Colorado Avalanche this season - Source: Imagn

Sakic admitted using the Mikko Rantanen trade as a means of improving the team’s depth for this season and beyond.

He stated:

“After the deadline, we loved the team we had. If it was up to me, if we could do it, we’d love to bring this same unit back and try and go on another run. But we felt we had to get deeper, not only for this season’s team but moving forward.”

The Avalanche bolstered their depth by trading for Brock Nelson from the New York Islanders, Ryan Lindgren from the New York Rangers, and Erik Johnson from the Philadelphia Flyers.

The acquisitions came on the heels of the team overhauling its goaltending situation, bringing in Scott Wedgewood and MacKenzie Blackwood in separate deals.

“Just paying three high-end guys and not having a surrounding cast wasn’t going to get it done,” Sakic added.

Those “three high-end” guys were reduced to two as Nathan MacKinnon and presumptive Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar remain on the club.

MacKinnon registered seven goals and 11 points in the seven-game series against Dallas. Meanwhile, Cale Makar had a relatively quiet series, notching one goal and four assists.

As for Mikko Rantanen, he had a whale of a series following a slow start. He burned the Avalanche for five goals and 12 points during their opening-round series. He will look to continue his success as the Stars face the Winnipeg Jets in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.