The Colorado Avalanche landed at No. 10 in the 2015 NHL Draft, and by the time they were on the clock, the top of the board had already been stripped clean. Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner and Zach Werenski were gone. Colorado used the pick on Mikko Rantanen, and that choice ended up shaping the next decade.
Rantanen barely got his feet wet in Colorado as a rookie, appearing in nine games before spending most of that season with the San Antonio Rampage, the club’s AHL affiliate at the time from 2015-24. In San Antonio, he put together a strong stretch, playing 52 games with 24 goals and 36 assists. He also returned there in 2015-16, skating in four games and picking up two assists.
Once he settled in with the Avalanche, Rantanen became a fixture on the top line with Nathan MacKinnon, and the fit was obvious. Over 10 seasons in Colorado, he piled up 287 goals and 394 assists in 619 games. His game brought size, puck protection, consistency and a real finishing touch, which made the pick look better and better as the years went on.
But the draft always invites the alternate-universe question: what if Colorado had gone another way?
A few names were still on the board after Rantanen, including Lawson Crouse, Jake DeBrusk, Matthew Barzal and Kyle Connor. Each has built a solid NHL career, and any of them could have been the one lining up next to MacKinnon.
Then again, maybe not. That’s the gamble of the draft.
There were other ripple effects to consider, too. If the Avalanche had passed on Rantanen, maybe Andrew Ladd ends up in Colorado instead of signing with the Islanders.
Maybe Milan Lucic signs with the Avalanche. Looking back at Lucic’s career, though, the Rantanen choice looks awfully easy to defend.
What made Rantanen and MacKinnon work was the way their games fit together. Rantanen brought the physical element, while MacKinnon has been an elite scorer and point producer. The combination gave Colorado a top-line look that just made sense.
Kyle Connor, meanwhile, has been a steady 30-goal scorer and has topped 40 goals twice, including a 47-goal season. Still, Rantanen owns two things Connor does not: a 100-point season and a Stanley Cup.
Colorado had already learned the hard way the year before, when it used a first-round pick on Connor Bleackley. He never played a single second in the NHL, so the Avalanche had plenty of reason to appreciate getting the 2015 decision right.
That’s why the Rantanen pick stands out so clearly now, even with the twist that sent him to the division-rival Dallas Stars after a shocking trade from the Avalanche to the Carolina Hurricanes. He may not be a franchise legend, but his place in Colorado’s story is secure. And it still feels like a shame that it had to end with a trade before the Avalanche got to lift the Stanley Cup a second time.
In Other News...
Avalanche Fans May Need To Rethink Fabian Lysell Fast
Fabian Lysell is the kind of summer addition that can look like a depth move in July and something much more interesting by the time camp opens. The Avalanche brought in the former first-round pick earlier this summer, and that alone gives the deal a different feel than a routine flyer. Lysell still carries the upside that made him a premium selection, which is why Colorado can view him in more than one way as it sorts out the rest of its roster.
For the Avalanche, the real question is whether Lysell can make himself hard to ignore at the NHL level. If he does, he could force his way into the conversation as a roster player rather than just another name in the system, and his place in the organization will also be shaped by the contract picture around him. Colorado does not have to decide everything right away, but the next stretch will go a long way toward showing whether Lysell is part of the plan or simply part of the asset pool. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Opening Night And Winter Classic Dates Are Finally Set
The Avalanche finally have their opening-night date set, and for the first time in franchise history theyll be kicking off a season in September. It gives Colorado a little extra runway before the grind begins, and it also locks in the kind of early-season spotlight that comes with being one of the leagues marquee teams.
Colorados calendar also now includes a Winter Classic date, adding another showcase game to a season that already has plenty of intrigue. Around the league, the Red Wings are moving on from Steve Yzerman as president and general manager, Trevor Zegras has landed a lucrative extension in Philadelphia, and Anthony Mantha is headed to the Devils, but for the Avalanche the immediate focus is on how the first stretch of the schedule will shape up once the puck drops. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Land Near Bottom Of Aggression Ranking And Fans Know Why
A new study from Casino Guru put a number to something Avalanche fans have long recognized: Colorado played with far more speed and skill than bite last season. The ranking used hits, penalty minutes, major penalties, fights, and suspensions or fines to build an Aggression Index, and the Avalanche ended up near the bottom of the NHL list, a reflection of a team that usually prefers to skate past trouble rather than lean into it.
Colorados place in the standings of that category fits the way this roster is built and the way it tries to win. The Avalanche have never been mistaken for a heavy, grinding club, and the postseason only sharpened that contrast as opponents looked for ways to make them uncomfortable physically. It also leaves an interesting comparison point for the teams that did manage to drag Colorado into a more punishing style, even if the most successful version of that approach came from a different Western Conference foe. [Read more 🡒]