Sure, the Avs could manage to get that under their cap, but some fans and pundits wonder should Rantanen make more than Nathan MacKinnon, who makes $12.6 million on annual average value? More questions are being asked with the trade deadline approaching whether the Avalanche will be comfortable with waiting until this summer to re-sign Rantanen at the risk of losing him for nothing once free agency opens on July 1st.

Jared Bednar won’t go very long without thinking about his hockey team or his various outdoor-related passions. It certainly shouldn’t be surprising when he finds a way to tie the two together. The Colorado Avalanche reached the midseason point on a turbulent 2024-25 campaign Tuesday night.

Rantanen leads the Avalanche in both goals (23) and power-play tallies (eight).

Carter Verhaeghe staked the Panthers to a 1-0 lead in the first period. The Panthers have proven tough to beat when scoring first on the road since 2023-24. They had an .818 winning percentage entering the night, according to NHL Stats. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 31 shots.

With 2025 here, lets take a look back into the final month of 2024 and see who the three stars of the month were for the Colorado Avalanche

Colorado Avalanche blueliners aren't growing defensive about their recent offensive surge -- they simply remain adamant about an aim to stop goals before scoring them.

Colorado’s only goal in the loss came in the first period on the power play off the stick of Mikko Rantanen. Named the third star of the game in a losing effort, Mackenize Blackwood looked sturdy once again for the Avalanche, stopping 22 of 23 shots between the pipes.

The Panthers struggle on the road and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is starting to show his age. Mikko Rantanen will make them pay tonight. The Colorado Avalanche host the Florida Panthers this evening at Ball Arena at 9:00 p.m. ET. NHL odds have Colorado as a -130 favorite, while the total sits at 6.5.

The Avalanche is 6-0-1 in its past seven games and wrapped up a 3-0-1 homestand. Carter Verhaeghe had a goal and Sergei Bobrovsky made 31 saves for Florida.

The Avalanche got contributions late from key players to extend their win streak to five, beating the Winnipeg Jets 5-2.

BOTTOM LINE: The Colorado Avalanche host the Buffalo Sabres as winners of five straight games. Colorado has a 23-15 record overall and a 10-8-0 record on its home ice. The Avalanche have scored 129 total goals (3.4 per game) to rank sixth in NHL play.