Inside the sometimes contentious Mikko Rantanen contract negotiation that finally ended Saturday

He went to bed Saturday night, Finland time, still uncertain about his near-term future, and more than a little anxious about it. There was potential for a stubborn standoff to ensue, even over a fairly small amount of money in the grander scheme of things. He would go to sleep that night knowing that the Colorado Avalanche was less than a week away from starting the regular season, and he still wasn’t on the roster.

He was woken up early Sunday morning by a call from his agent, Mike Liut. There was another offer on the table – six years, $55.5 million, $9.25 million per – when before the offer was just below $9 million per.

“You want to take it, yes or no,” Liut asked.

Yes, said Mikko Rantanen. A thousand times, yes.