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

The Colorado Avalanche were involved in one of the NHL's biggest recent blockbusters on Friday night when they sent star forward Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes as part of a three-team trade that brought them forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury.

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.

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.

Trading Moose is fan abuse. Surely, they’re not done. Right? Shipping out Mikko Rantanen has to be the beginning of a mid-season makeover — not the Finn-ishing piece. Surely, somebody’s coming. Somebody big.

Colorado Avalanche’ alternate captain Nathan ... MacKinnon praised the team's resilience in the Avalanche's 5-4 win against the Rangers after losing three straight games. Cale Makar (two goals ...

NHL trade deadline is over a month away, with plenty of time for big moves, yet we’ve already seen a splash that can’t be topped. The Colorado Avalanche traded superstar winger Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes for Martin Necas in a move that will have massive ramifications this season and for years to come.

Elias Pettersson could be the odd man out in Vancouver. What does he bring, where could he land and what does Vancouver need?

The 4 Nations Face-Off is now less than two weeks away. It begins Feb. 12 at Bell Centre in Montreal. Most NHL teams have six, seven or eight games remaining before the League breaks for the first best-on-best hockey tournament since the World Cup of Hockey 2016.

Also: Will Alex Pietrangelo's 4 Nations opt-out lead to more stars prioritizing their health over the event? And who will replace him?

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The word “blockbuster” gets thrown around a little too often in today’s NHL, often for trades unworthy of the term, in the same way that anything might feel like a five-star meal to a starving man. But the deal that dropped on Friday night? That one deserves the title, no questions asked.