Makar scored again to give Colorado a 3-2 lead at 14:36 of the period with the Avs on the power play. Necas reversed the puck from the right side of the ice to the left, then MacKinnon set up Makar at the top of the zone for his 18th goal of the season.

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

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

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,

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

The NHL’s trade season is upon us, and the weather forecast is cloudy, with a chance of blockbuster deals. The Colorado Avalanche sent shockwaves through the NHL last weekend, facilitating a three-team trade to move superstar winger Mikko Rantanen.

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.

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."

Martin Necas had two assists, nearly scored twice himself and excelled on the top line. Jack Drury scored a goal and centered a new-look depth line while all 12 Avs forwards played more than 10 minutes, a departure from the usual top-heavy distribution.

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. Somebody big.

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.