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.

After the shocking blockbuster deal that shipped Mikko Rantanen out of Colorado, he broke silence on his view.

The Avalanche made one of the biggest trades in Colorado sports history last week when it sent away star forward Mikko Rantanen to the Hurricanes in a deal that included the Blackhawks. In return, the Avs received forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury, plus a pair of draft picks (2025 second-rounder and 2026 fourth-rounder).

Is it time to bet on the Hurricanes as Stanley Cup champions? What can MacKinnon do without Rantanen? Who will start in net for Sweden and Canada?All that and more.

Speaking to The Athletic’s Peter Baugh on Monday, Rantanen shared his thoughts on the trade, his contract talks with the Avalanche and his new chapter in Carolina. Most interestingly, Rantanen confirmed that he was "ready to take a significant discount" to stay in Colorado, as initially reported by Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.

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

The Colorado Avalanche traded Mikko Rantanen to Carolina. Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland has a message about that.

Will he re-sign in Carolina after this season -- and if not, where else? And what will other contenders do to keep pace ahead of the March 7 deadline?

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,

Where does the NHL's biggest in-season trade in decades leave the Canes, Avs and Blackhawks ... and the Canucks and Rangers? Let's dig in.

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.