The trade that saw the superstar dealt to Carolina sent shockwaves through the league and up and down the Colorado franchise.

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."

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.

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.

Like Rantanen, Marner is UFA-eligible on July 1. Friedman pointed out Marner has a full no-movement clause whereas Rantanen had a partial no-trade. Proteau believes he'll re-sign with the Leafs.

Colorado Avalanche right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) celebrates with the bench after scoring against Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) during the second period of Game 3 of an NHL Stanley Cup second-round playoff series Saturday, May 11, 2024, at Ball Arena in Denver. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)

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.

Colorado Avalanche shock the NHL by trading high-scoring Mikko Rantanen to Carolina Hurricanes for Martin Necas

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,

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.

The Carolina Hurricanes are wasting no time introducing their latest acquisition to the organization. After swinging a massive trade for superstar Mikko Rantane