Rantanen has grown into a completely invaluable player for his team. The decisive final of the Stanley Cup was the latest example of this, writes Tommi Seppälä, NH Sport’s journalist for Urheil.
TAMPA. We’re talking Mikko Rantanen glue player. About a player whose head coach Jared Bednar can throw into virtually any chain or venue. If the game of some chain doesn’t work, throw Rantanen in there and kapas, things will start to work.
Rantanen comes with movement, fighting power, the security of a puck game and more power over it all.
Rantanen is a star player at the NHL level, close to even superstar status as a player with about a hundred regular season points. However, the Ascendant Man does not sow in the biggest limelight, as the Colorado team exudes individual expertise in the superstar category above all else. Nathan MacKinnonin and Cale Makarin through.
At the same time, however, it should be noted that Colorado would be nowhere near what it is without its Turku player. Rantanen is an invaluable part of the master group.
Just following the finals series gave viewers an excellent glimpse of the versatility of the TPS breeder. The beach was played in the first chain and in the second chain on the side and in the middle. Already in the regular season, Rantanen showed that he can easily play at the top level also on the central forward’s plot.
In addition to the powers, Rantanen is also terrifying start-up wins for Colorado.
Such a jump from the edge to the middle is certainly not common even at the top level, but it didn’t make any difference to Rantanen’s game. The game retained a similar quality in both the offensive and defensive directions.
Rantanen is a model case of a modern power striker. There is skating skills, there is martial arts as well as the right kind of humility to play the game right. As an athlete, Rantanen is an extremely tuned top individual who, despite his large size, can still beat 82 regular season games while tightening the playoffs.
We’re talking about a hockey player who has little to no weaknesses. Development targets can be found in small details. On top of all this comes the strength of the spiritual side.
During the spring, I had a lot to do with Rantanen, who is always happy and has a good sense of humor, but now I was faced with a more serious and focused hockey player than usual. Day after day. Even on the morning of the decisive final day, his gaze was to pierce the back wall of the press room.
Here Rantanen fights in the last minutes of the match from the long puck to Colorado for the finish line.
Colorado and Rantanen had a mission, and nothing was coming to stop it. Rantanen played his weakest match in the final series on Friday, but the mental hardness came out again in the sixth final.
Rantanen, MacKinnon and Artturi Lehkonen dominate the events in the trough to an extent. The best game in the final series hit the most important seam possible, not by chance. This is how top players work.
The video below shows how much influence Rantanen had behind the Colorado handicap. After the starting victory, Rantanen delivers the puck to the goal and then keeps the puck flying towards the middle area and at the same time the pressure in the attack area.
MacKinnon’s net powers 1 + 1 Lehkonen hit the series package. Rantanen’s eight assists from the finals is the second highest performance in NHL history in terms of assists. On Sunday, Rantanen was not at points, and he didn’t need to – Rantanen and his chain friends still hit the table in the hardest possible place on the home ice of the reigning champion. And no number was made of this either.
Colorado’s winning goal also started with Mikko Rantanen’s opening pass. Watch the situation that led to the goal in the video below.
Rantanen did not make the headlines, but it is certain that within the walls of the locker room – and above all in the club’s office – everyone understands how important Mikko Rantanen is to his team. An extremely versatile player and, above all, a selfless and humble type outside of the ice.
One example of this was also seen at the championship party on Sunday. When the trophy was handed over to Colorado, Rantanen was in no hurry to get it for himself, even though he was part of the captaincy. Instead, he was the first to rush others to lift the coveted Grail bowl.
Not a crazier dude, this Moussinen Mikko.