Colorado Avalanche captain Nathan MacKinnon spoke candidly about his feelings following the blockbuster trade that sent his longtime teammate Mikko Rantanen away from the only franchise he'd ever played for. "It's unfortunate," MacKinnon said, per DNVR Avalanche. “Losing a great friend, great teammate. I’m gonna miss him.

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.

By trading Mikko Rantanen last night, the Avalanche took a big gamble. The club chose not to pay to extend the contract of one of the best forwards in the NHL, and importantly, a key engine of their offense.

A stunned Nathan MacKinnon tried to make sense of the Colorado Avalanche trading Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night.

MacKinnon dished out two assists in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Rangers. MacKinnon saw success alongside new linemate Martin Necas and the two provided assists on Cale Makar's pair of first-period goals.

Colorado Avalanche’ alternate captain Nathan MacKinnon offered high praise for newcomer Martin Necas after the blockbuster trade that sent Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes. The trade ...

The surprising trade that saw the Colorado Avalanche trade star winger Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes has been met with shock and some level of despair within the Avs’ locker room. Rantanen has twice broken the 100-point mark during his 10 seasons in Colorado,

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. MacKinnon called the ...

After one of the biggest in-season acquisitions since the New Jersey Devils acquired Ilya Kovalchuk for a massive haul in the 2009-10 season, more information has begun trickling out regarding Mikko Rantanen and the Carolina Hurricanes.