The trade that saw the superstar dealt to Carolina sent shockwaves through the league and up and down the Colorado franchise.

Rantanen said he thought talks with the Avs had been productive before the shocking trade to the Canes: "I didn’t know we were in a rush."

Nathan MacKinnon was stunned. He used other words — shocked and sad were two — to describe the Colorado Avalanche trading Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night. The best way to describe how he looked about 18 hours after an “Earth-shifting hockey trade” though,

Rantanen has been an essential member of the Avalanche's core since arriving in 2015-16, having won the Stanley Cup in 2021-22. Widely regarded as one of the NHL's premier offensive talents, he stands among the league's top five scorers over the last five seasons.

Chris MacFarland pointed to Rantanen’s pending free agency and the club’s desire to get deeper after three years of being short in that department as reasons for the trade. The NHL’s salary cap ceiling, which is set at $88 million this year but is expected to rise — possibly significantly — in the next couple of seasons is also a factor.

Facing the prospect of Colorado's star winger Mikko Rantanen becoming an unrestricted free agent after this season, general manager Chris MacFarland felt the timing was right to deal him away and bolster the Avalanche's roster for the future.

Chris MacFarland wanted to keep Mikko Rantanen and make his roster deeper. In the end, the Colorado Avalanche general manager determined he couldn’t do both. MacFarland spoke with reporters Saturday morning,

Colorado Avalanche shock the NHL by trading high-scoring Mikko Rantanen to Carolina Hurricanes for Martin Necas

After that game, Avalanche players finally had a chance to publicly react to the trade, and the team's best player, Nathan MacKinnon, had one of the stronger reactions.

The Colorado Avalanche stunningly traded Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night, and he was reportedly blindsided.

The Carolina Hurricanes are wasting no time introducing their latest acquisition to the organization. After swinging a massive trade for superstar Mikko Rantane

The Rangers look to rebound from a disappointing loss to the Avalanche. After facing Martin Necas and Jack Drury with their new team Sunday, New York gets to take on Mikko Rantanen on his. The Blueshirts are on the midst of a critical and rough seven game stretch leading into the 4 Nations Faceoff with games against Boston (home and away),