OverDrive - LeBrun on Rantanen landing with Carolina, the Avalanche's team trajectory and Makar's contract next steps

Episode Date: January 28, 2025

TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the NHL, Mikko Rantanen's trade to Carolina, the Avalanche's perspective of the deal, Cale Makar's contract next steps, the Hurricanes into Stanley Cup contender status, the trade market on full display and more.

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why Colorado decided to trade Miko Rantinen? Yeah, I mean, obviously the easiest answer, answer at least on the surface is that they couldn't get him signed But it doesn't explain the timing and everything else I will say this I had a chance to interview Chris McFarlane the gym the avalanche over the weekend. I thought her You know he it was pretty revealing some of the answers that he gave me in that interview the piece in the athletic And I'll tell you the one that caught my attention. I want to know what you guys think of it. You know, I said to him, obviously, you didn't find him.

That's why you traded him. And started his quote with this quote. I don't know if we can say we couldn't Simon. And then he went on to say that when you have a player of Nathan McKinnon's caliber and his contract and Gail McCarr and his stature and his next contract So on and so on and so on what I got from that answer Is a new wrinkle to all this which is this?

It wasn't just whether or not they could sign Lampton and I Think they felt they actually probably could given the last conversation they had with his agent This was more about making a decision, a huge one, that they didn't want once they signed the car in two years' time. And that's going to be a massive extension. That they have made a calculation that they couldn't have three guys eat up that much of their cap. That's what this is really about in my mind. Now listen, whatever Colorado's last offer was, and there were contract talks last week, multiple sources confirm that. You know, obviously had he signed their last offer, he'd still be there.

He didn't. But I will also tell you, and Rantan has been quoted in multiple outlets, including in the Athletics Today. Rantan was willing to take less than market value to stay. Clearly what less than market value was to them was still more than what the avalanche were willing to go to. But again, the answer from McHarlan in my interview with him about looking to the future

with McHarlan's next contract contract I thought that was really revealing this is just as much about not wanting to tie up that much of a cap in three players who's pulling the trigger on that McFarlane or Joe Sackett well listen they work together old dog it's a great question obviously they work together Joe Sackett's his boss but they're obviously on the same pageager on this. I mean, this is a very difficult decision for that organization. And, you know, we'll see if they regret it or not. I mean, I heard you guys just as I came on, I mean, they got some pretty good pieces for it. Now here's the other part of this that I find interesting.

One of the things I tried to press McFarlland on was because none of us had heard a whiff of Meekle Ransom and Meek on the market, let's be honest, is that he clearly did not involve that many teams in this. It's very reminiscent of the Joe Thornton trade 20 years ago that way. And the reason for that, as you told me when I asked him about it, is that he felt that to have other teams in this, there were a number of teams that would have wanted random and science and extension as part of a trade. And they made the calculation simply that they didn't want to go down that road

where they open it up, where the player and the agent are now involved. Everything gets out, you know, in the public, obviously it becomes a whole different thing. I think we can all agree to that. And I think part of it is Carolina, at the end of the day, offered up the kind of pieces that they felt were gonna be hard to beat in their estimation in jury and nature.

So again, you rarely win the trade where you trade the six highest court in the NHL, which they did here in Lansing. And then, Christian Farlin couldn't have been clearer in their interview. He said it was really hard. Like you can hear this train and his voice. Really hard to trade Nico Rantanen.

But they thought about this long and hard guys about what it meant, even if they could try to get Rantanen close to their number, what it actually meant in two years when they signed the car and that's what it else was there a last like coming to Jesus meeting where maybe McKinnon involved curious about my kinins involvement if at all anything like he was just left in the clouds in this one like just yeah he was completely blindsided is what he said himself to reporters on Saturday oh dog he dog. He did not see this coming.

I mean, he, he, in fact, what he said is that he assumed, by the way, so did I, I assume that this will go down to the wire like it did with Gabriel Landis. God didn't July of 21. You guys may remember that that one guy testing you. There was a tweet. I don't remember all this. And then they signed him at the 11th hour. And the kid just assumed that this whole thing would go down the wire close to July 1st and they would get it done

The timing of this surprised everyone Absolutely, because they still have five months to try and sign him but Once I was off the phone with McFarlane and Saturday night when we did this interview. I Was a little clearer now in terms of why this got done now and then halfway I mean they they got what they wanted from Carolina they decided that they didn't want to tie up their calf with three guys in the next couple years and They pulled the trigger

Yeah, and it makes you wonder if they made that decision like months ago peer You know like if Colorado had decided this like well in advance that we're going to let this season play out. And like you said, we know McCarr is coming up in a couple of years, you're going to pay them and McKinnon's already making 12.6 million. And this is a philosophy thing that we have to make a decision on. It's going to be tough. What I appreciate is Carolina stepping in and saying, we'll take them and we'll pay

whatever you need. Yeah. Because I think it's a brilliant move for Carolina. I look at the East. I think the East is wide open. I do not see any team that is the defined favorite. Washington's been good. Florida's very good obviously, but I think Carolina just made the biggest splash you could possibly make and they're clearly a better team today. And man, they ended up winning a Stanley Cup it's a just a brilliant brilliant move no question about it and everything comes with risk and the reality is it may be that Carolina would have been the only team to give up those types of assets for a guy that may lose in five months it may very well be as good as

Rampen and is you know I talked to another team this weekend that had heard very faintly that something was starting to brew with Rampson and is, you know, I talked to another team this weekend that had heard very faintly that something was starting to brew with Rampson and, and, but they said, Hey, we're, you know, we're not going to give up major, major assets for, for a guy that we don't think we will be able to sign. So, so that's what, you know, that's why Carolina is stepping up here. They don't care. And you know, I talked to Eric Tulski this weekend too, the GM of the Hurricanes,

and one of the things that they said is that now that they have them, they are very bullish in their thought process that two things, one, they're the only team now that can give Mikko Ranfen in eight years. No other team can. So that's a big thing for them, the total money over eight years.

Two, his close friends with Sebastian Ajo and Tulski feels that once rampant and sees, you know, what that room is like in Carolina and how they do things that, that they'll be able to convince them. Now there's no guarantee. He may be gone July 1st and Tulski acknowledges that they're willing to take that risk. And, and the other thing I would say is Tulski made a point of saying this to me Losing a player like that would obviously be terrible, but the Hurricanes embrace Caproom. They see Caproom as a weapon

They the worst case scenario they lose an equal random Then they come up with a plan to go trade or sign other guys. That's what he said. And I don't know how many teams have that view. I think a lot of teams would look at that and say you just gave up two pretty good players for a guy you might lose in five months. Not to mention they literally just lived this with Jake Denzel. They traded for Jake Denzel, tried to sign him and lost him. But the difference this time according to Tulski, they have way more captain to play with than they did a year ago. So, this all happens over the weekend. Do you think now this starts a domino effect? You know, you look at Vancouver's situation, and I know Jimmy Rutherford, Patrick Alveen, I mean, they're not going to just knee-jerk reaction, but

that seems like that's been going on and dragging out in Vancouver for a long time. I don't know what they're planning on doing. But doesn't this maybe open up the market to say, okay, if somebody is going to pull the trigger, we saw what Colorado and Carolina did. Maybe there's some other manager that's on the fence of doing something that pushes him over to go, I need to do this too. Yeah, my noodles. I mean, first of all, the impact of Vancouver, they just lost a trading partner.

I mean, the Canucks and hurricanes were deep in talks on the trade. That would have been the other option for Carolina this past week. I tweeted that Friday night, but Carolina and Vancouver went deep on one. Um, no one involved wants to confirm whether that was from Miller or Patterson, I think it's Patterson. But I know that Carolina spoke to Vancouver on East player over the last several weeks. Whatever it was, they decided to go ranting in instead. Carolina did, but that leaves Vancouver now with having to circle back to the other

team they've been talking to on both Miller and Pederson. And, you know, I think it's been a tough goal here because the caducks are obviously trying to, I think, move one of these guys, but move one of these guys and get something in return. And that's the difficult part in season of training these guys with turn and you kind of just saw it. I don't know what was on the table in the, for sure in the Carolina, uh, Vancouver trade. I don't think it's fair for me to speculate without no 90%. But we know one thing, the difference between trading for a Pederson or Miller versus trading for Antonin is that if you're trading for Miller and Pederson,

there is the opposite kind of risk of a pending UFA. There's a risk of maybe not loving the contract you inherited. And so I think it's somewhat telling what, first of all, Rampen is obviously the best of the three players, but it's still telling that they went the risk rate in terms of a pending UFA when they had clearly something they could have done with Vancouver as well.

Yeah, it's pretty significant, man. Those are great trades, like hockey trades, right? And that's what I would say, like you just pointed out, Patterson Miller, they've got their own baggage, they've got contracts, they're great players, but Ranton is just simply better. And if you're in a window, in a one one-year window if you're Carolina and you think I can win this year you give me the option of ranton and Miller or Pederson everyone on earth is taking Miko ranton yeah but do yourself a favor and go get a goalie

and go get another defenseman too if you're gonna do that yeah that's the question I got all in ready's back ready is back reactivated ready to rock here well one thing Eric Tulski told me is that as soon as he welcomed Taylor Hall and Nico Rampen into the team on Saturday, he went to the hotel room and tried to make it more call to beat. Well he doesn't want to be done. He wants to try and potentially make another move before March 7th. So I mean we throw the expression all in around way too much. I know Jerry Jones but I didn't tell you right now the Carolina Irons are all in

No question about it. And I think it's probably what he said Brian that that the East I think this is the most wide open The top of the well the top and the bottom frankly the whole conference is the most wide open I've ever seen it. There's not a juggernaut team at the top of this all due respect to Washington who was a great story all due respect to the Leafs who are having a really nice year on the Craig Blue Bay there is not a juggernaut team at the top of the conference and I think Carolina took that into calculation but there's also this oh dog knows this he has ties to the organization the hurricanes have been taking taking swings here year after year after year reminds me of San Jose and their glory days. You know you don't get to do it forever man. You know I mean yeah at some point you'll pay a price. Yeah yeah so they're home for it.

And I'm sure they won't be alone. The question is who else is going to be out there. You know like we know the again the, the Vancouver scenario, but if, if only one ranton is available, they got them, you know, like other guys will be traded, but not of that status or not of that impact. And Pierre, I know it started floating out there. Well, now that is that like, they've got cap space in Colorado. Does that link them to sit and It's not that on Friday night. You know what though? Okay. You can can definitively and we all can say

definitively no right now but what if Pittsburgh goes 0-1-12 in the next 12 games by the deadline and they've basically gone 0-1-12 there's done anyway even if they sneak in they're not just ahead of Buffalo I'm just saying that I'm just we all get the Nate. We all get the name machine and connection and no one's going to deny that. Let me start before I get radio here. Yes. And you started by saying because I feel like it's like a legal obligation. We checked this weekend, CJ and I drugs, everyone involved with Pittsburgh and Cindy Crosby's camp, completely shot down any possibility of that. Okay. So let me get that off my chest

so we know that. But I said this before on your show guys. I mean because Brian and I love this topic but I said this before. When he signed that two-year extension everyone's like oh that city's not going anywhere. That wasn't my reaction. I looked at the way the structure of the deal and saw that it was front-loaded and that the last year of that extension makes an easier move. That's right. Now, that doesn't usually happen.

Every time Sidney Crosby's quoted on this, he says, I'm finishing my career in Pittsburgh, and I believe him. That's how he feels. That doesn't mean he'll feel the same way in a year or two. For this year, I find it hard to believe, but I mean, if you would have asked me a week ago if Migo Rantzen was getting dealt, I would have told you no. But you know, that's, you never know.

But right now, it doesn't feel like that would be a thing before March 7th, but things could change. Yep. Anything is possible. All right, right Pierre, well we'll leave it there. I mean it's good to be talking big trades and we're getting closer to the trade deadline. Hopefully more is going to happen. We know there will be deals taking place but it's go time now man. Blood gates are open. The interesting thing like I said last week, how many teams want to take care of

business before pronations and how many are forced or actually want to wait for that type of deal after it? That's the interesting problem. Absolutely. All right, Pierre, thank you for doing this. Appreciate it. Right on, right on. Pierre Lebrun, our TSN Hockey Insider.