Season Recap: Mikko Rantanen

Mikko Rantanen had another elite season in 2023-24. In 80 regular season contests, Rantanen posted 42 goals and earned a career-high 62 assists, eclipsing the 100-point mark for the second-straight season. In 11 playoff games, he added four goals and 10 assists.

With those marks, Rantanen joined Nathan MacKinnon (2022-23 to 2023-24) and Peter Stastny (1981-82 to 1983-84) as the only players in franchise history to record at least 40 goals and at least 50 assists in consecutive seasons. He also joined MacKinnon (2022-23 to 2023-24) and Milan Hejduk (1999-00 to 2000-01) as Avalanche/Nordiques to score nine game-winning goals in consecutive seasons. Additionally, Rantanen is one of four players in the 21st century to post consecutive seasons with at least 40 goals, 50 assists, and 13 power-play goals. He and Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl are the only players of those four whose streaks are active.

Rantanen's performance this season proved once again that he is one of the NHL’s best players. Since the start of the 2020-21 season, Rantanen ranks fifth in the NHL in regular-season goals (163) and fourth in points (367). In the playoffs during that time span, he’s tied for eighth in goals (21), tied for fifth in assists (41), and fourth in points (62).

In the 2023-24 regular season, Rantanen posted 11 different multi-game point streaks, with six of them being at least four games. His longest point streak was 11 games, where he posted five goals and 15 assists. He also scored six goals in nine games from Dec. 31, 2023, through Jan. 16, 2024.

Rantanen scored at least a point in 58 of the 80 games he played this season, with 29 of those being multi-point outings. His highest single-game point total was a five-point outing in a Jan. 24, 2024, win over the Washington Capitals while his highest single-game goal total was a hat trick in a March 19, 2024, win over the St. Louis Blues.

Entering the 2024-25 season, his 10th with the Avalanche, Rantanen has one year remaining on his contract. He's 30 games away from 700 for his career, 38 goals from 300, 45 assists from 400, and 83 points from 800.