Mikko Rantanen stirred up a lot last season. He played for three different teams, all fueled with emotion and drama right to the end.

For the Colorado Avalanche, they’ve come out on the losing side of the Rantanen ordeal. Their disastrous first-round loss to Rantanen and the Dallas Stars is one for the history books.

Sure to be seared in fans’ heads for years to come, they’re far from done when it comes to facing Rantanen. His eight-year deal in Dallas will keep him in the Central Division, likely facing Colorado tons of times in both the regular season and postseason.

Just because of everything that went down, it feels like eons ago when Rantanen played in the burgundy and blue. So how will one of the franchise’s best players be remembered?

The Stats

The Finnish forward still is in the history books for Colorado. He’s scored the sixth-most goals in franchise history with 287. On top of that, he’s got the seventh-most assists with 394. This puts him at seventh-best in franchise history with 681 points.

On the power play, he was a menace. He scored exactly 100 power-play goals for Colorado. Consistently at his best in Colorado, eight of his 10 years saw him score 20 goals. In five of those years, he scored 30 goals.

Rantanen also scored at a high rate, as he has the fourth-most hat tricks in Avalanche history with 10. Furthermore, he made the difference with 43 game-winning goals, fifth-best in the franchise’s history.

He did all of this in his first 10 years with the organization. Drafted 10th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft, he was part of the core forward group at the time with Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog.

Of course, there was additional help which came along in the form of Finnish teammate Artturi Lehkonen, Nazem Kadri, and Cale Makar. Rantanen became a solidified piece with everyone involved.

While he was mostly on the top line, he slotted in on the second line from time to time. This included both on the wing and in the center.

He was part of depth galore for the Avalanche. It helped fuel him to be a Stanley Cup champion with the Avalanche in 2022. His run was incredible, scoring 25 points in 20 games. 12 of those points came on the man advantage.

Nonetheless, his stats and memories as a player in Colorado are priceless. Again, he will always be solidified as a Stanley Cup champion. But how he was treated before his departure by the front office turned him the wrong way.

Has Rantanen turned into a hated rival?

Likely no, not yet, anyway. It will likely depend on how his tenure in Dallas will go. He’s got eight years ahead of him at the American Airlines Center. Unless there’s a major shift in divisions with expansions likely coming, the Avs and Stars will be playing each other frequently.

With more playoff matchups likely coming too, a lot of it will be determined then. Great players separate themselves from good players when it matters most.

Rantanen did just that against Martin Necas and his former Avs teammates last season. If he continues to be a thorn in Colorado’s side, his legacy in the Mile High City just might continue being tainted.