Nathan MacKinnon wasn’t exactly impressed when he found out his linemate and close friend had been traded. The 29-year-old from Cole Harbour reacted to Colorado Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen’s trade to the Carolina Hurricanes on the weekend and he didn’t have a whole lot of positives to offer.

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.

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,

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.

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.

Mikko Rantanen says he was willing to take a discount to stay with the Avalanche before the Hurricanes trade happened.

A number of promising pickups are on waiver wires in fantasy hockey leagues. Here are players to add this week.

Former Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen took to Instagram to share his gratitude to the franchise after being traded to the Hurricanes.

Mikko Rantanen thought there was a chance he could hammer out a contract extension with the Colorado Avalanche that would have been fine for both sides.

The Toronto Maple Leafs likely saw the deal stuck between the Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes for Mikko Rantanen and asked themselves if they were playing their situation with Mitch Marner the right way.

Mikko Rantanen said he was open to signing for cheaper than his reported price before the Colorado Avalanche traded him to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday. "I was willing to take a significant discount from my market value,