Mikko Rantanen confirms contract negotiations were ongoing ‘a couple of days’ before trade

Mikko Rantanen was in his final days as a member of the Colorado Avalanche in mid-January, as it turned out.

But before the trade to the Carolina Hurricanes that rocked the NHL world to its core, negotiations with the Colorado Avalanche on a new contract were continuing apace, Rantanen confirmed in a press conference with Denver-area media Saturday.

“It was a weird situation overall,” Rantanen said. “Obviously negotiations were going on with Colorado.

“Six weeks before the deadline, we were still negotiating at that point and I felt at that time I needed to go talk to front office, which I did, face to face. I told them I’ll be flexible and I want to play here for a long time. And then a couple days later, they traded me. So, that was obviously very emotional.

“It’s been a different six, seven weeks for sure.”

Earlier this week, The Daily Faceoff reported that the Avalanche and Mikko Rantanen weren’t far apart in negotiations — separated by just $500,000 a year.

The contract Rantanen ultimately got from the Dallas Stars — who acquired him at the trade deadline from the Hurricanes — got Rantanen to $12 million per year.

“It was hard, because at the end of the day, I always wanted to stay in Colorado,” Rantanen said, echoing comments he made earlier.

“That was the plan. I told the front office, too, I told them face-to-face that I was going to be flexible. But I understand, better players than me have been traded in the history of the NHL. So, it happens.”

Mikko Rantanen will hit the Ball Arena ice for the first time in a game situation against the Avalanche on Sunday afternoon.