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.

In the aftermath of the trade, a three-team doozy that also sent ... on where things stood on contract negotiations between the Avalanche and Rantanen, who is represented by Octagon Sports.

GO DEEPER Does the Mikko Rantanen trade signal a transition for the Avalanche? One-on-one with GM Chris MacFarland Rantanen is a pending unrestricted free agent in line for a massive payday this ...

GO DEEPER NHL trade grades: Hurricanes acquire Mikko Rantanen in stunning blockbuster with Avalanche The truth of the matter is there was only ever going to be an extremely limited field of ...

The Colorado Avalanche traded Mikko Rantanen ... The long-term impact of this trade and its legacy will likely come down to three factors: 1. What does Rantanen’s next contract ultimately ...

The trade deadline is March 7. The Avalanche pay MVP Nathan MacKinnon $12.6 million a year, and that was likely their top limit for Rantanen. Though Colorado loses a prolific scorer, Necas is the ...

While there was a bit of an underlying feeling that a Mikko Rantanen trade was possible, seeing it happen on Friday night still sent shockwaves around the NHL. Rantanen was an Avalanche superstar ...

Colorado Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said it was a "tough business decision" to trade star winger Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes in the final year of his contract.

Rantanen wasn’t the only one surprised by the trade. Nathan MacKinnon said it was shocking and sad. Jared Bednar called it a hard day. Related Articles Colorado Avalanche | Avalanche beats ...

The Colorado Avalanche has traded Mikko Rantanen to the ... The Avs also received prospect Nils Juntrop from the Blackhawks in the trade. Necas, 26, is having a breakout season for the Hurricanes.