DENVER • He’s heard the song, if anyone wondered. Is it really a song, or more of a jingle?

Anyway, Mikko Rantanen’s heard the li’l ditty. Looked it up on YouTube when a buddy told him a Swedish rock ‘n roller named Hampus Liedman had written a song about none other than Mikko himself.

“It’s good,” Rantanen said with a laugh. “It’s probably 30 seconds or so. I think it’s pretty funny, but I don’t want to hear it too much.”

The song gets stuck in your head and consists of a horn section and two words on repeat: “MI-KKO RAN-TA-NEN.” I told him it’s definitely something he should consider for his ringtone.

“There’s a 100-percent chance I will not do that,” he said.

Fine. But stardom’s calling for the reluctant “Rants.” That, and enough dough to hire Hampus Liedman for a private gig. The Oilers came to Pepsi Center Tuesday, and the obvious attraction was the potential for another Nathan MacKinnon vs. Connor McDavid highlight fest.

Both are worth the price of admission, but neither leads the NHL in scoring. That’s Rantanen with 52. (MacKinnon’s second.) Through 30 games, the only Avs player with more points was Peter Forsberg. And the only current player who could match Rantanen’s 12-game scoring streak is Alex Ovechkin. Decent crew to hang with, right? When’s it time to mention Rantanen among the NHL’s top players?

“Now,” MacKinnon said.

“When you’re leading the league in points 30 games in, I think you should be mentioned,” said MacKinnon, the NHL MVP runner-up last season. “Obviously we have a good line, but it’s not just chemistry. Mikko is one of the best in the league right now. Just watch him play. If he was in New York he’d probably in that conversation a lot more.”

That’s the East Coast’s problem. They’re missing out. Colorado’s flush with stud young athletes at the moment, and the 22-year-old Rantanen is tied with Nolan Arenado and Nikola Jokic for the state lead in how’d he do thats?

“We certainly know what he brings to the table for us,” coach Jared Bednar said. “But part of that is now you’ve got to prove it again and follow that up. Now he’s on track to do that. He’s had a great start to the season and he’s starting to garner some more attention around the league.”

The Avs slept walked onto the ice Tuesday. It was 4-0 Oilers before Rantanen spanked a wrister into the net, thankfully, both for the Avs and the sake of this column. In a forgettable night for the home team, Rantanen had the goal and three assists and it all seems to come so easy for him. Avalanche goaltending remains a worry too often, and Semyon Varlamov and Philipp Grubauer let pass three goals apiece.

This is Rantanen’s third season. On the other bench was the Oilers’ slick center, Leon Draisaitl, who signed a huge extension of $68 million after his third season. No wonder Mikko’s smiling all the time. With the NHL scoring lead, a stack of cash coming and a catchy jingle by Hampus Liedman, who wouldn’t be?

(Contact Gazette sports columnist Paul Klee at paul.klee@gazettedev.gazette.com or on Twitter at @bypaulklee.)

–>