The Colorado Avalanche Are Dealing With A Classic Case Of "We Should Have Kept Mikko Rantanen"
When the Colorado Avalanche traded Mikko Rantanen back in January, it was because they feared they would lose him to free agency this summer and get nothing in return. They had to make a decision--do they try to win another Cup with this core group of guys and risk having to sacrifice Rantanen to free agency for that parade? Or do they trade Rantanen, recoup whatever package they could get in return, and see what that does for them in the future.
Obviously we all know by know that the Colorado Avalanche prioritized their future over winning a Cup this year. Granted, they weren't expecting for Rantanen to end back up in the Western Conference this year. But shit happens, and now Mikko Rantanen played a huge role in why the Avs are just 2 losses away from their future right now.
Sure, Tyler Seguin was the hero who ultimately buried the overtime game winner to give Dallas their 2nd OT win in a row. But rewind that tape a little bit to the zone exit. Mikko Rantanen is an absolute moose. He bullied Drouin off the puck. Then Cale Makar knows how dangerous Rantanen is with space, so he decides to step up on the play. That let's Rantanen bank it off the boards and sends Marchment in on the rush. He pulls everyone down with him, finds Seguin trailing the play, bingo bango, Stars take a 2-1 series lead. All because Mikko Rantanen is a moose who pulled Drouin's underwear over his head.
It's as dominant of a secondary assist that you'll ever see. I know sometimes it's easy to look at secondary assists as a joke. But this is the exact reason why they're a stat in the first place. None of that happens without Mikko Rantanen making those initial few plays. It also doesn't happen without Tyler Seguin being on LTIR earlier this season, so quick shoutout to that as well.