Ryan Whitney claims Mikko Rantanen could have been ‘highest paid winger', draws comparison with $112,000,000 Oilers star

The trade sending Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes is still the talk of the hockey world. Nobody actually thought the 10-year career-long member of the Colorado Avalanche would leave his only NHL home.

It turned out all were wrong. Business came first and broke up the superstar duo of Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. There have been reports on what the 28-year-old was seeking in a contract extension and what the Avalanche offered.

Former NHLer Ryan Whitney broke down the trade and contract fallout between Rantanen and the Avalanche in the latest "Spittin Chiclets" podcast on Tuesday:

“Yeah, MacKinnon said he called him, they talked for 20 minutes, and it was just like, he just really looked and I get it, like you just lost your guy. I mean, this is a 50-goal, 105, 110-point player that you lose.

"My thing is, for Avs fans, I'll totally buy like if there is any anger towards him, I get that because if he wanted to, he is still a Colorado Avalanche. He chose that he wants, like, they, Elliotte reported that they went up to 11.75 a year. That's the highest-paid winger in the game, beating Panarin."

He feels that elite centermen in the NHL, like Leon Draisaitl, provide more value than elite wingers:

"You're not a center. You're not Leon Draisaitl, they're different, like the, I don't think Rantanen is the same level player. I think that it's Matthews, MacKinnon, Connor, Draisaitl personally, and Rantanen is right beneath them.

"But if you, if you really wanted to be a member of the Avs, you're probably signing that deal. And maybe you get them up to 12, and you mentioned the same deal as Nate, I get that. But Avs fans, you got to realize, like, he chose not to sign there."

Timestamp: 23:50 onwards

Draisaitl re-set the market with his eight-year, $112,000,000 contract extension in Edmonton this offseason.

It will be fascinating to watch how it all plays out for Rantanen in Carolina and whether the team is able to sign the superstar winger to a long-term deal.

Mikko Rantanen is on pace for another season with over 100 points

Mikko Rantanen is having another great season. He's racked up 64 points (25 goals, 39 assists) in 50 games this season, putting him on pace for 105 points.

This would be Rantanen's third consecutive 100-plus-point season, as he produced 105 in 2022-23 and another 104 in 2023-24. To show how rare of a feat that is, the last time a Carolina Hurricane reached the 100-point mark was Eric Staal all the way back in 2005-06.

You could already argue that Mikko Rantanen is one of the best players the franchise has ever had. It'll be eager to lock him down to a long-term extension sooner rather than later.

Rantanen's second game as a Carolina Hurricane comes on Tuesday night in New York against the Rangers. The puck drops at 7 p.m. EST at Madison Square Garden.