Deen’s Daily: Mikko Rantanen Breaks Another Record; Leafs Are For Real; Utah Mammoth!

The first segment of the post-playoff mailbag is here. What went wrong in the postseason for Colorado? Also, the Toronto Maple Leafs are looking pretty, pretty good. And in Winnipeg, Mikko Rantanen went off, again.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — May 8.

Colorado Hockey Now

The worst part about the Avs going out in the first round is that we’re still so far away from the draft and free agency. Which means we’ve got more time to talk through what went wrong in the playoffs before looking ahead and speculating on the moves to come.

After the loss this weekend, I sent out a mailbag to collect questions about all of the above. I got way more than I thought, which is awesome. We’ve got a passionate Avalanche fanbase and community here, and it’s great to see how much everyone cares.

I decided to split the questions into segments, with the first one getting released yesterday. It covers everything about Jared Bednar’s job. Chris MacFarland’s moves and what went wrong in the postseason.

Read More: What Went Wrong in Avs’ Shocking Early Postseason End?

Stanley Cup Playoff Recap

Game 2 — Toronto Maple Leafs vs Florida Panthers: Are the Maple Leafs for real? It sure feels like it. They don’t seem to fold or get rattled as easily as years past. They stopped the Senators’ comeback attempt in Round 1, and they didn’t let the Anthony Stolarz injury sink them in Game 1 against Florida. In Game 2, the Panthers led 1-0 and 2-1, but Toronto took a 3-2 lead into the second intermission. They went on to win 4-3 to gain a 2-0 series lead as the series shifts to Florida. This is already the farthest Toronto has made it in the postseason in 21 years.

Game 1 — Winnipeg Jets vs Dallas Stars: One of the things that sank the Avs was the play of Rantanen. He factored in on every goal in the Stars’ four-goal comeback surge in the third period of Game 7. And against Winnipeg in Game 1, Rantanen recorded a hat trick in his second consecutive game to help Dallas take the series opener by a final score of 3-2. Rantanen is the third player to ever score hat tricks in consecutive playoff games and the first in nearly 40 years. He also set an NHL record by factoring in on 12 consecutive goals for his team. That streak is still active and can be extended in Game 2.

Tonight’s Schedule

• Game 2: Carolina Hurricanes at Washington Capitals (5 pm MT on ESPN)
• Game 1: Edmonton Oilers at Vegas Golden Knights (7:30 pm MT on ESPN)

Around The NHL

Utah Mammoth: The team in Utah finally has a name and logo. What are your thoughts? I’m sure some of you, especially those local in Colorado, have some opinions.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The latest trade target that makes sense for the Pens. (And hey, maybe even the Avs).

Philly Hockey Now: Exploring trade options for the Flyers.

NYI Hockey Now: Isles GM Update: Who is the favorite for the job?

Vegas Hockey Now: What led to the Golden Knights’ Game 1 loss to Edmonton?

Florida Hockey Now: Aaron Ekblad, who returned from his suspension, called Brandon Hagel’s comments a reasonable response.

Chicago Hockey Now: Three Blackhawks prospects are excelling in the Calder Cup playoffs.