Colorado Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland addressed his decision to deal Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes in a shock trade Friday night, saying it was the right time for the organization to move one of its best players.
"It's a bittersweet day, right?" MacFarland said. "Mikko is a decorated player for us. He's an elite winger in this league. It was a tough few days. We just felt the timing was right. The last few days it kind of came together, and we decided to act yesterday. But it wasn't without a lot serious thought, I can assure you of that."
MacFarland continued, "It was a tough business decision here for us. We just felt that the pieces we got, it made sense to strike now."
Colorado received Martin Necas and Jack Drury in the deal, both of whom are under contract through 2026. Necas will be an unrestricted free agent when his deal expires while Drury will be a restricted free agent. Cost certainty was an important factor to MacFarland after the Avalanche and Rantanen - a UFA this summer - struggled to gain traction in extension negotiations.
"These are tough decisions," MacFarland said. "There's nothing done in a vacuum. Mikko earned the right to be an unrestricted free agent, and he's five months away from that. You've got to make these hard decisions. The player has to make them, the club has to make them, and that's what we did. Getting two cost-controlled assets was important."
Rantanen was reportedly seeking an annual average value in the range of $14 million on his next contract. The Avalanche currently have Nathan MacKinnon locked into a deal worth $12.6 million per season, and Cale Makar has only two years left on his pact.
Rantanen has been one of the league's top producers since the Avalanche drafted him 10th overall in 2015, and MacFarland acknowledged that replacing his output isn't going to be easy.
"We're going to have to try and replace him in the aggregate," he said. "Fifty-goal scorers don't grow on trees, you have to usually draft and develop them, and Mikko was a home run for us for many, many years ... we're going to miss him. There's no ifs, ands, or buts about that."
He added: "It hurts, right? He's a homegrown talent, he's a superstar person, he's a superstar human being. I think that's sports. ... Your heartstrings get tugged, and that's why we all do this."
