“It just sucks,” Avalanche players SHOCKED as team trades Mikko Rantanen to Hurricanes in 3-way blockbuster deal, fans react

NHL world shocked following mind-blogging Mikko Rantanen's trade to Hurricanes amidst Avs regular season struggles.

“It just sucks,” Avalanche players SHOCKED as team trades Mikko Rantanen to Hurricanes in 3-way blockbuster deal, fans react

Mikko Rantanen [Image Credit: RMNB]

On Friday the Carolina Hurricanes made a flurry of shocking moves by acquiring Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall in a blockbuster three-way deal with Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks. The Avs received Jack Drury and Martin Necas in the process along with 2nd round pick in 2025 and 4th round pick in 2026.

The Blackhawks on the other hand acquired 3rd round pick in the 2025 Draft and will also retain a portion of Rantanen’s $9.25 million salary. The move caused an uproar in the NHL world as nobody expected it.

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The Colorado Avalanche players were beyond shocked to see their friend leave suddenly. Cale Makar said he was in a hotel room when the news broke and he was baffled that he had to say goodbye to Rantanen.

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Makar further added that while understands the business side of things, he wishes for things to have turned better. After the team’s 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins at TD Garden, Nathan MacKinnon commented, “It’s just sad.”

I wish I could have talked about this … not right now. I’m upset about the loss, but just bigger picture — obviously losing Mikko, a really great friend. Nine years, 10 years together. Won a Cup. I never thought in a million years he’d leave. So yeah, it just sucks.

Nathan MacKinnon as per Corey Masisak of Denver Post.
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Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar says that he understands how all the players are feeling to see their friend Mikko Rantanen go but “we just felt the timing was right.” While it’ll take time for Avs and the fans to let go of Rantanen, the Hurricanes are happy to have an elite addition to the team.

Social media reacts to Mikko Rantanen’s trade to Hurricanes

Caroline Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky is excited to have Mikko Rantanen debut as part of their organization against the New York Islanders on Saturday. He said Rantanen is a “fantastic fit” for their team and hopes he can help them reach the Stanley Cup this year.

Mikko Rantanen
Mikko Rantanen [Image Credit: Athlon Sports]

However, fans on social media is yet to digest the trade news. Everyone was shocked including the Hurricanes fans as no one expected a trade between Avs and Hurricanes over Mikko Rantanen.

One X user commented, “Holy f***,” while another noted, “LFG!” as Rantanen dons the Hurricanes jersey in his debut. Check more fan reactions below:

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So far Rantanen has played all 619 career games with the Avalanche following the 2015 Draft. He has recorded 681 points with 287 goals, and 394 assists. He helped the team in Stanley Cup victory in 2022.