Nathan MacKinnon on Mikko Rantanen trade: ‘It just sucks’

Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon spoke about the shocking trade of his friend Mikko Rantanen on Saturday afternoon.

And the reigning Hart Trophy winner as the NHL’s MVP was brutally honest.

The Avs lost to the Boston Bruins 3-1, but that was the secondary story after the huge move GM Chris MacFarland pulled on Friday night. Rantanen is out, traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, and Martin Necas and Jack Drury are in.

MacKinnon was very surprised to see Rantanen go and clearly not real happy about it.

Nathan MacKinnon called the Mikko Rantanen trade “shocking.”

“I never thought in a million years he would leave. So yeah, it just sucks.”

— Evan Rawal (@evanrawal) January 25, 2025

MacKinnon and Rantanen played their entire careers together to this point, culminating with winning a Stanley Cup in 2022. Both players topped 100 points each of the last two seasons, with MacKinnon tallying 111 and 140 and Rantanen putting up 105 and 104. It’s hard to find a better duo and the entire NHL, and that has now been split up.

“Upset about the loss but bigger picture obviously losing Mikko, really great friend.. it’s just sad”

MacKinnon talks about Mikko being traded ⬇️#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/rolgrEjNF8

— AltitudeTV (@AltitudeTV) January 25, 2025

MacKinnon said he spoke with Rantanen for about 20 minutes on the phone last night after the trade was made. He always thought a contract extension would get done, but it didn’t happen. Rantanen reportedly wanted $14 million a year, but the Avalanche felt comfortable at $12.5 million, slightly less than what MacKinnon makes.

“A lot of the guys are just shocked. It’s pretty crazy someone like that getting traded. He’s a big part of our team, our culture. He’s been here since the dog days in ’16, ’17, all the way up to now. He’s helped grow this organization into a Stanley Cup winner and obviously being a contender every season,” MacKinnon said.

MacKinnon added he “doesn’t really care about money,” and wasn’t opposed to Rantanen making more than him. That’s certainly an interesting nugget, given the reports the Avalanche didn’t want to pay Rantanen more than MacKinnon.

Good on Nathan MacKinnon for addressing the situation, and you can tell he’s still stunned this happened. He’s not alone, as many Avs fans feel the same way.

Related

Cale Makar voted NHL’s best defenseman a fifth year in a rowAvalanche name new head coach for AHL affiliate EaglesFive most important Avalanche games during the 2026-27 seasonNHL drops schedule for 2026-27 Avalanche seasonFirst Avalanche game of 2026-27 season announced, it’s in SeptemberAvs make three more depth signings, including forward with 477 NHL games