Necas and Jack Drury were traded to the Avalanche on Friday night in a stunning three-team trade that sent Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes were awaiting a Saturday night tilt with the Islanders when they found out about the deal.

As NHLRumors.com has documented, Avalanche General Manager Chris MacFarland has been busy reshaping this roster. It started with the goaltending, bringing in Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood. Even with the upgrades in the goaltending position, the Avalanche felt they did a couple of seasons ago before they got Nazem Kadri.

Mikko Rantanen, the good solider and Nathan MacKinnon’s literal right-hand man ... The Avs’ hottest line right now is its second one, with the trio of Jonathan Drouin, Casey Mittelstadt and Artturi Lehkonen accounting for four goals and 10 points ...

Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon is once again scoring at a torrid pace. Through 46 games, the 29-year-old has scored 17 goals and 55 assists for 72 points, leading the league in both ...

Artturi Lehkonen scored the game-winning goal with 14.7 seconds left in regulation as the Avalanche beat the New York Rangers 5-4 at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. Cale Makar scored twice, Martin Necas posted his first two points with the Avs and Nathan MacKinnon added a pair of assists.

The trade also features Martin Necas, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick heading to Colorado, while Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall move to Carolina and Chicago retains 50 percent of Rantanen's salary and receives a 2025 third-round pick.

MacKinnon leads the NHL in points (77) and assists (58). Among NHL defensemen, Makar is first in goals (18), tied for first in points (56) and being for second in assists (38). Necas is seventh in the NHL in assists (41).

The Avalanche made one of the biggest trades in Colorado sports history last week when it sent away star forward Mikko Rantanen to the Hurricanes in a deal that included the Blackhawks. In return, the Avs received forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury, plus a pair of draft picks (2025 second-rounder and 2026 fourth-rounder).

NEW YORK -- Artturi Lehkonen scored with 15 seconds remaining in the third period, and the Colorado Avalanche ended the New York Rangers’ 10-game point streak with a 5-4 victory at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

Here are our Mikko Rantanen trade grades for the Blackhawks, Avalanche, and Hurricanes after Friday's stunning deal.

On the surface, the Colorado Avalanche made a pretty baffling decision last week (Jan. 24). Trading an in-his-prime franchise legend like Mikko Rantanen doesn’t usually go over well in the eyes of public opinion.

Jared Bednar has been known to rely heavily on his top forwards, often overplaying the top line to the point where some nights you wouldn't know the Avalanche were even dressing 12 forwards. That was not the case in Sunday's 5-4 win over the New York Rangers.