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

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 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.

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.

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

Mikko Rantanen dropped a very strong message to the Colorado Avalanche shortly after being traded in an NHL blockbuster move to the Carolina Hurricanes.

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.

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?

Here are three blockbuster Avalanche trade targets in the wake of the stunning Mikko Rantanen trade with the Hurricanes.

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,