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

Colorado Avalanche's final contract offer to Mikko Rantanen before trading him to the Carolina Hurricanes was leaked by the renowned insider Elliotte Friedman.

Chris MacFarland pointed to Rantanen’s pending free agency and the club’s desire to get deeper after three years of being short in that department as reasons for the trade. The NHL’s salary cap ceiling, which is set at $88 million this year but is expected to rise — possibly significantly — in the next couple of seasons is also a factor.

Carolina can re-sign Rantanen and maintain a formidable supporting cast around him, which might have been tough for Colorado.

The Mikko Rantanen blockbuster to the Hurricanes is one of the most stunning trades in recent memory, and the reactions are flooding in.

The Colorado Avalanche has traded Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes, according to multiple reports. Rantanen is in the final year of his contract and can be an unrestricted free agent in July. He leads the Avs with 25 goals and has 64 points, which was sixth in the NHL entering Friday night’s games.

Colorado Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said it was a "tough business decision" to trade star winger Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes

Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said trading Mikko Rantanen to the Hurricanes was a "tough business decision," calling the star winger a "superstar human being."

The massive three-team trade that sent Mikko Rantanen to Carolina and Martin Necas to Colorado was about two key choices those teams had to make. Elliotte Friedman writes about why the deal happened now,

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

The Colorado Avalanche were at an impasse with Mikko Rantanen in terms of getting a contract done. There were talks at the beginning of the season as the unrestricted free agent was eligible to sign a new contract on July 1st,