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

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.

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.

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.

Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon couldn't hide his frustration when addressing the huge three-team trade involving historic teammate Mikko Rantanen.

The Avalanche began the process of moving on with its first win since the deal Sunday afternoon against the Rangers. Drury scored a goal. Necas was dynamic, collecting two assists and hitting both the crossbar and post with shots while playing in Rantanen’s old spot next to MacKinnon.

Following a 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday, the first game without Rantanen, Avs superstar Nathan MacKinnon sat down in the locker room with reporters and reminisced on his old friend and former teammate.

Some of the issues that looked fixed two days ago in a decisive win against the Dallas Stars were again troubling for the Colorado Avalanche in a loss to the Minnesota Wild.

The Colorado Avalanche stunningly traded Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night, and he was reportedly blindsided.

You could tell the trade of Mikko Rantanen really stung everyone in the Avalanche organization. After Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins, Nathan MacKinnon ... away one of Colorado's stars ...

The Colorado Avalanche will face the New York Islanders in this NHL matchup at UBS Arena on Tuesday, January 28th. WATCH: Avalanche vs Islanders Live | Stream on ESPN+ Colorado finds itself fourth in the Central Division standings despite having the leading points scorer in the NHL,

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