BOSTON -- As Chris MacFarland wrapped up his remarks Saturday, as he explained the forces that had caused him to send forward Mikko Rantanen across the country from the Colorado Avalanche to the Carolina Hurricanes, a blockbuster trade that shook the franchise and fanbase, he uttered the words that were at the bottom of everything.

Colorado Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland says trading Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes was a "tough business decision,' calling the star winger a "superstar human being."

I think it was just a tough business decision here for us," MacFarland said Saturday before the Avalanche faced the Boston Bruins. “I felt that the pieces we got made sense to strike now.” Colorado traded Rantanen in a three-team deal to Carolina a night earlier,

Rantanen can become an unrestricted free agent July 1. He was available because the Avalanche couldn’t sign him to a long-term contract. Tulsky said the Hurricanes wanted to acquire Rantanen as long as possible before the NHL Trade Deadline on March 7 and have had only preliminary discussions with his camp.

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,

Chris MacFarland did the latter Friday night. The Avalanche did not want to trade Mikko Rantanen. No one ever wants to trade a 50-goal scorer. That's why trades of this magnitude rarely occur. But when your hand is forced,

On Friday, the Colorado Avalanche and the Carolina Hurricanes pulled off one of the biggest trades in modern National Hockey League history when star winger Mikko Rantanen was sent packing by the Avalanche and welcomed with open arms by the Hurricanes.