Rantanen quietly emerging as star for red-hot Avalanche

TORONTO — Coming off Monday's victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs that pushed their win streak to 10 games, the Colorado Avalanche are the hottest story in hockey. It's a development almost impossible to believe, considering where the franchise was at the same time last year.

Colorado slumped to a 22-56-4 mark in 2016-17, a season some were quick to deem the worst performance of the salary cap era.

"Everything that could go wrong last year went wrong," Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog said Monday.

This year, the Avalanche have corrected their own trajectory with Nathan MacKinnon emerging as a leading Hart Trophy candidate. MacKinnon has already surpassed his output from 2016-17 and the Art Ross Trophy is also certainly within reach, but he's far from the lone contributor on this offensive inferno.

Mikko Rantanen has developed into the Avalanche's second catalyst, forming one of the league's most potent lines with MacKinnon and Landeskog. The 21-year-old is ready for his closeup, and it's only a matter of time before the rest of the league takes notice.

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Selected 10th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft, Rantanen's stellar rookie campaign was overshadowed by the Avalanche's worst season in over two decades. Rantanen notched 20 goals and 18 assists, showing glimpses of his star potential, but Colorado was out of playoff contention before his professional experience begun in earnest.

This season has been in diametric opposition to last year's disaster. Rantanen is certainly channeling the learning experience, and he's now tied for 20th in league scoring with 17 goals and 30 assists, averaging just over a point per game.

"I just think it's the experience from last year, it gives a little more push in the rink when you don't think too much. You know what to expect," Rantanen told theScore.

It's a sentiment echoed by Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar.

"I think, second year in the league, he knows what to expect. He came out, had a little bit of a slow start, but he's really found his stride here lately," Bednar said of Rantanen.

Although Rantanen is content to defer to his teammates, it's become clear his potential is limitless while he continues to elevate his game throughout the winter.

"I said it all along last year and the last couple of years: this guy can only get as good as he wants. He's got no boundaries for how good he can get. He's got all the tools, it's just a matter of staying level-headed and he's a great kid, it's been a lot of fun to be a part of," Landeskog said.

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Rantanen benefits from playing alongside MacKinnon and Landeskog, both of whom were billed as the league's brightest talents upon breaking into the NHL. It's a terrifying notion for 29 other teams but at 25, Landeskog is the grizzled, sage veteran of the group, serving as the composed voice of the team.

The camaraderie between the trio is obvious and Rantanen spoke about how he's happy to play on a line that holds three distinct skill sets.

"Nathan is in the middle, everybody knows he's a superstar. He's really fast, one of the fastest guys in the league, he drags a lot of d-men into him and makes a lot of room for us. Gabe is a great two-way guy and very strong with the puck. I try to be in the middle, make plays for them, and try to finish some chances too and be strong with the puck," Rantanen said.

"I think him and Nathan and Landeskog really have formed a good bond on and off the ice. They like playing with each other. There's some good chemistry there," Bednar said of his top forward unit.

Landeskog detailed Rantanen's ability to overpower defenders while still exhibiting the high-end speed and playmaking that has come to define the Avalanche's top line.

"Obviously, he's got two really good linemates in Nate and myself and we've found some chemistry. He's doing really well as far as finding those loose pucks in front of the net and making sure he's making those strong plays because he is a big, strong guy making strong plays on the puck, protecting the puck, but he's also got that speed whenever he's challenging defensemen wide or taking them on 1-on-1," Landeskog said.

Notching 14 points through January with a week still remaining, Rantanen is dominating the game with his complete skill set and although he's surrounded by stars, he's far from the third wheel of this rocket-powered arsenal.

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During a Jan. 6 game against the Minnesota Wild, Rantanen was caught on the bench rocking out to Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer", a song that predates the right winger's existence by a decade. It provided a brief account of what Rantanen is like as a teammate, adored by his peers for his lighthearted approach.

"I love him, everybody loves him around the locker room. I think that's one thing about our team is that nobody really dislikes each other. We all get along very well and that makes it fun," Avalanche center Tyson Jost said of Rantanen.

"He's very funny, he's goofy...he's an awesome guy to be around."

Whether it's a function of starring on the west coast, or the rest of the league still trying to scrub last year from their memory, Rantanen has somehow gone under the radar while exhibiting star quality in every way. The Avalanche have their second catalyst, and it's unlikely it'll remain a secret for long.