A stunned Nathan MacKinnon tried to make sense of the Colorado Avalanche trading Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night.

The Colorado Avalanche were involved in one of the NHL's biggest recent blockbusters on Friday night when they sent star forward Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes as part of a three-team trade that brought them forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury.

After the trade happened, MacKinnon said he spoke to Cale Makar and Gabriel Landeskog, who is on the trip, as leaders of the team. They weren't the only players on the team shocked, as a night where a lot of the team was planning on going to bed early changed on a dime.

The Colorado Avalanche trading Mikko Rantanen appears to have caught star Nathan MacKinnon off guard just as much as everyone else."Great friend, 10 years together, won the Cup, obviously. It's just sad,

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,

Following the conclusion of Saturday's afternoon game between the Avalanche and Boston Bruins, Avalanche star forward Nathan MacKinnon was asked to share his feelings on the trade. "Just sad," said MacKinnon. "Really great friend, 9-10 years together, won a cup, it's just sad."

By trading Mikko Rantanen last night, the Avalanche took a big gamble. The club chose not to pay to extend the contract of one of the best forwards in the NHL, and importantly, a key engine of their offense.

The Colorado Avalanche sent shockwaves throughout the NHL Friday night, trading superstar forward Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes, as part of a three-team deal involving the Chicago Blackhawks.