Mikko Rantanen was traded from the Colorado Avalanche—and just a few months later, he eliminated them from the playoffs. Now, Avalanche legend Peter Forsberg shares his thoughts on Colorado’s decision, calling it “the most nightmare scenario imaginable.”
Rantanen is one of the best players in the NHL, but with his contract expiring, the Avalanche were in a tough spot. He wanted to stay, but only for a salary that would place him among the league’s highest-paid players—and Colorado wasn’t willing to go that far.
To avoid losing him for nothing in the summer, they traded the superstar to the Carolina Hurricanes, a team from the other conference. The idea was to avoid facing him in the playoffs—at least not before a potential Final. But then, something unexpected happened: Rantanen didn’t re-sign with the Hurricanes and was instead dealt to the Dallas Stars.
Peter Forsberg on Rantanen
And as if things couldn’t get more dramatic, the Stars ended up facing the Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs. Unsurprisingly, Rantanen was a major factor in the series, almost singlehandedly eliminating his former team. In the deciding Game 7, he scored a hat trick to send Dallas through to the second round. After that, many slammed Colorado for not doing more to keep him.
But Peter Forsberg—a two-time Stanley Cup winner and Colorado legend—understands the front office’s dilemma.
“It’s hard to say… but right now, yeah, of course it feels like that,” Forsberg told The Hockey Beast when asked if Colorado should have done more to keep Rantanen.
“Deciding Game 7 like that—it’s tough. But it’s part of a long-term plan. Martin Necas is a few years younger, and they’ve got to stay under the salary cap. If they sign Rantanen, maybe they lose someone else. You’ve got Makar, Landeskog, MacKinnon, Toews… They’ve got to make room for all of them.”
Still, Peter Forsberg understands fans’ frustration—especially with how things unfolded.
“It got a little crazy. They send him to Carolina, and then he ends up knocking them out in the first round? And he’s the one who scores the winner? That definitely wasn’t part of the Avalanche’s plan. It’s tough,” Forsberg said.
“But who knows—maybe Necas scores ten goals in next year’s playoffs, and then everyone says it was a great move. But right now? Yeah… it’s the most nightmare scenario imaginable. Scoring the series winner against the team that traded you…”
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