Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon couldn't hide his frustration when addressing the huge three-team trade involving historic teammate Mikko Rantanen.

Colorado Avalanche captain Nathan MacKinnon spoke candidly about his feelings following the blockbuster trade that sent his longtime teammate Mikko Rantanen away from the only franchise he'd ever played for. "It's unfortunate," MacKinnon said, per DNVR Avalanche. “Losing a great friend, great teammate. I’m gonna miss him.

The Avalanche began the process of moving on with its first win since the deal Sunday afternoon against the Rangers. Drury scored a goal. Necas was dynamic, collecting two assists and hitting both the crossbar and post with shots while playing in Rantanen’s old spot next to MacKinnon.

After the shocking blockbuster deal that shipped Mikko Rantanen out of Colorado, he broke silence on his view.

Nathan MacKinnon wasn’t exactly impressed when he found out his linemate and close friend had been traded. The 29-year-old from Cole Harbour reacted to Colorado Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen’s trade to the Carolina Hurricanes on the weekend and he didn’t have a whole lot of positives to offer.

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.

Here are three blockbuster Avalanche trade targets in the wake of the stunning Mikko Rantanen trade with the Hurricanes.

Also: Will Alex Pietrangelo's 4 Nations opt-out lead to more stars prioritizing their health over the event? And who will replace him?

The Colorado Avalanche are still attempting to find normalcy in the aftermath of trading superstar forward Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes. It's an in

The trade shocked everyone on Friday night when star forward Mikko Rantanen was shipped by the Colorado Avalanche to the Carolina Hurricanes. You’ve seen it in the past few days: Rantanen was stunned,

It’s become a pattern now — the Colorado Avalanche look like the better team for the better part of the first 40 minutes and then the final period is a problem.