It has been an eventful and stressful nearly 24 hours for the Colorado Avalanche and their fans. On Friday night, elite forward Mikko Rantanen was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes for forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury as part of a three-team deal including the Chicago Blackhawks.

Rantanen said he thought talks with the Avs had been productive before the shocking trade to the Canes: "I didn’t know we were in a rush."

Mikko Rantanen skated to center ice at UBS Arena and a familiar sound emanated from his teammates near the bench. “Moooose.” Rantanen scooped up the puck on his stick, smoothly moved toward the goaltender and then snapped a shot off the crossbar and into the net.

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

Whenever a franchise icon is traded, there is always a doubt about whether the new players can adequately replace their production. That is the predicament

BOSTON -- As Chris MacFarland wrapped up his remarks Saturday, as he explained the forces that had caused him to send forward Mikko Rantanen across the country from the Colorado Avalanche to the Carolina Hurricanes, a blockbuster trade that shook the franchise and fanbase, he uttered the words that were at the bottom of everything.

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.

The hockey world turned upside down on Friday when the Colorado Avalanche sent star forward Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes. Colorado shifted its attention to a Saturday game against the Boston Bruins in which it dropped 3-1,