The whole Mikko Rantanen debacle put a big damper on the entire 2024-25 season for the Colorado Avalanche. From the original trade way before the deadline to him then ending up with the division rival Dallas Stars on a contract that was reportedly similar to what Colorado had offered him.
To add more fuel to the fire, Rantanen absolutely torched Colorado in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, highlighted by a third period hat trick in Game 7 to send his old friends home as he and a sea of green celebrated together in the American Airlines Center. Avalanche fans were crushed, and so were the players as they came up well short of winning a Stanley Cup once again.
In classic Rantanen fashion, he then faded out later in the playoffs, a story Avalanche fans have seen too many times, as the Stars were waxed by the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Finals in five games.
Fast forward three months, and it seems that everyone’s off-ice relationships are still well, despite what Rantanen did to them back in May. Veteran defenseman and fan-favorite Erik Johnson posted some videos to his Instagram story of him trying his best to scare some of his teammates with a live lobster, something that fits the Condon’s personality perfectly.
Erik Johnson is a menace pic.twitter.com/f9zkyIbSHG
— Jesse Montano (@jessemontano_) August 13, 2025
All the Avalanche players, present and past, are gathering at what is rumored to be Nathan MacKinnon’s wedding. There is no confirmation on what exactly it is, as MacKinnon is very secretive about that kind of stuff.g
Another note from the video, Logan O’Connor seems to be moving well after undergoing hip surgery just two months ago. The Avalanche haven’t provided an update on his status, but originally projected him to be out for about 5-6 months, which should put his return sometime around the holidays.
At least everyone seems to be all buddy-buddy even though Chris MacFarland and the rest of the front office shipped the Finnish winger out of town.
