Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland Made Tough Business Decisions

The Colorado Avalanche made a tough business decision trading Mikko Rantanen, but their GM did what was best for their future.

by
Jim Biringer
January 27, 2025

On Friday night, the Colorado Avalanche traded Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes. Nobody expected that to happen. Most expected a deal to be struck between the two parties at the last minute, but GM Chris MacFarland decided to do what was best for his team. It was not a popular decision, but it was a business decision.

We see general managers around the league making business decisions that may upset their team’s locker rooms. Earlier in the season, New York Rangers GM Chris Drury moved out his captain, Jacob Trouba, to the Anaheim Ducks. He wanted to shake things up to get his team to play better and change the atmosphere and the dynamic to be a championship-caliber team.

There were even more distractions inside that room, but the Rangers have turned it around. Aside from Mikko Rantanen’s desire for $14 million in his next contract, negotiations were kept pretty quiet. Rumors trickled out that the two sides would postpone talks until after the season.

Outside of the one report by Renaud Lavoie stating the Avalanche would trade Rantanen before the March 7th Trade Deadline if there was no extension, trade talk surrounding Rantanen was minimal. But nobody thought the Avalanche would actually trade him because of how much Rantanen meant to the organization.

Business is Business for the Avalanche

But it is a business, and Chris MacFarland decided that the future was more important than the now. We know what the Avalanche did with their goaltending to start the season because MacFarland knew if he didn’t make the goaltending better, they had no chance of winning. But the goalies aren’t getting close to $14 million a season.

“I think it was just a tough business decision here for us,” MacFarland said before the Avalanche’s 3-1 loss at Boston on Saturday.

Even with the salary cap going up in increments, MacFarland believed that fielding the most complete was better for Avalanche than messing up his salary cap for years to come.

“It’s clear, we’re not deep enough. And I think that you’ve gotta be deep to go four rounds, and hopefully this is gonna help that. Obviously Mikko, he’s a superstar. You can’t replace that. But again, he’s a superstar that earned the right to be a free agent. He’s that good of a hockey player. … He had the UFA card and we felt this is what we had to do.”

MacFarland of the Colorado Avalanche operates like Lou Lamoriello still does. It does not matter if you have $100 million to spend; I’m keeping players at a certain amount, and everyone will slot in behind our top guy. Lamoriello did that for years with the Devils. Now, MacFarland is doing it in Colorado.

The Avalanche Will No Longer Be a Three-Star Team

This is unlike Edmonton, where Connor McDavid will reset the market when he is eligible to sign an extension this July 1 and pass Leon Draisaitl, who makes $14 million a season. The Oilers also have to sign Evan Bouchard. Colorado made a tough call and said Nathan MacKinnon’s $12.6 million a season is the highest any forward will get.

Even with Rantanen and MacKinnon’s chemistry, the Avalanche’s offensive drive was driven by three players. Cale Makar, Rantanen, and MacKinnon. Even with the depth of players the team acquired, it was not the same as in 2022, when they won the Stanley Cup. MacFarland felt that paying Rantanen more than MacKinnon might have made things even worse.

Cale Makar is due for a pay raise, and newly acquired forward Martin Necas is eligible for an extension this summer as well. So, MacFarland knew that, with $14 million for Rantanen and Makar potentially resetting the defensive market, the Avalanche might not have been able to field a roster that could compete for a Stanley Cup.

What’s Next for the Avalanche?

It will be interesting to see how the Avalanche move forward. As NHLTradeTalk.com has reported, they are not done making trades. They need a second-line center. Colorado will have the money to make that happen. However, the goal for them is to fit inside their internal salary cap.

We are seeing the Moneyball tactics of the Oakland A’s coming into the NHL. Let’s see if this decision makes the Avalanche a better team in the long run. That is what Chris MacFarland is hoping for.

Next: NHL Trade Talk Recap: Oilers, Maple Leafs, Hawks, Sabres & Avs