Rantanen can become an unrestricted free agent July 1. He was available because the Avalanche couldn’t sign him to a long-term contract. Tulsky said the Hurricanes wanted to acquire Rantanen as long as possible before the NHL Trade Deadline on March 7 and have had only preliminary discussions with his camp.

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

DENVER — Trading Moose is fan abuse. Surely, they’re not done. Right? Shipping out Mikko Rantanen has to be the beginning of a mid-season makeover — not the Finn-ishing piece. Surely, somebody’s coming.

Who won Friday night's blockbuster that saw Mikko Rantanen go from the Colorado Avalanche to the Carolina Hurricanes?

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.

Rantanen admitted he spent a lot of time staring at the ceiling Friday night. The goal celebrations with the likes of Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar are no more. The bonds he made are likely unbreakable, but now it’s time to make new ones in his new home.

The trade is a stunning midseason swap of point-per-game players in their primes, an anomaly in the NHL trade market in the salary-cap era.

Here are our Mikko Rantanen trade grades for the Blackhawks, Avalanche, and Hurricanes after Friday's stunning deal.

Rantanen produced an assist and four shots on goal in Wednesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Jets.

NHL insider Frank Seravalli shared on X that something bigger was on the table during Mikko Rantanen's trade to the Carolina Hurricanes.

In a blockbuster NHL trade, the Colorado Avalanche have sent Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Martin Necas. Taylor Hall will also be going from the Chicago Blackhawks to the Hurricanes as part of the three-way deal.

In a blockbuster three-way trade, the Hurricanes are going all-in by acquiring all-star and pending UFA Mikko Rantanen from the Avalanche.