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.

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

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)

Colorado loses Mikko Rantanen as part of a three-team deal on Friday, shipping him off to the Carolina Hurricanes who also got forward Taylor Hall from Chicago in the complicated trade.

Necas and Drury, who were in New York for a game against the Islanders on Saturday night, made their way to Boston and played.

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

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

The hockey schedule waits for no one. The Avalanche were preparing for an early matinee matchup on Saturday when they made the late Friday night whopper of a trade with Carolina. Without Mikko Rantanen,

David Pastrnak had a goal and two assists, and the Boston Bruins beat Colorado 3-1 on Saturday, a day after the Avalanche traded star winger Mikko Rantanen.