Gabriel Landeskog of the Colorado Avalanche speaks during the team’s end-of-year press conference at Family Sports Center in Centennial, Colorado on Thursday, May 23, 2024. LAS VEGAS — to kickstart their offseason. They can sign Mikko Rantanen to a long-term extension for the 2025-26 season and beyond once the calendar flips to July.
The cap ceiling is set at $88 million for next season. With Mittelstadt signed, the Avs are nearly out of room to add players who make anything beyond the league minimum. If we include Nikolai Kovalenko, Sam Malinski and Jean-Luc Foudy, plus three players on veteran minimum contracts to fill out the lineup, the Avs are left with less than $400,000 in cap space.
“It’s not simple to create those escape hatches. And most teams when they know you need to do something, it’s not the best situation to be in.”, a great candidate for comeback player of the year if such an NHL award existed. He quickly fit in the with club and eventually became an integral player. “Quite a bit,” MacKinnon said when asked if he and Drouin had been discussing the future lately. “… It’s no secret that I love the guy. I love playing with him. Everybody on the team loved him, but I get it, though. It’s business and he’s got to do what’s best for him. He’s got a couple kids, a wife, everything. I’m hoping it works out, though.”