Colorado Avalanche's final contract offer to Mikko Rantanen before trading him to the Carolina Hurricanes was leaked by the renowned insider Elliotte Friedman.

The Colorado Avalanche has traded Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes, according to multiple reports. Rantanen is in the final year of his contract and can be an unrestricted free agent in July. He leads the Avs with 25 goals and has 64 points, which was sixth in the NHL entering Friday night’s games.

Rantanen has been an essential member of the Avalanche's core since arriving in 2015-16, having won the Stanley Cup in 2021-22. Widely regarded as one of the NHL's premier offensive talents, he stands among the league's top five scorers over the last five seasons.

Chris MacFarland said Mikko Rantanen’s pending free agency, need for more depth were biggest factors in seismic move.

Mikko Rantanen dropped a very strong message to the Colorado Avalanche shortly after being traded in an NHL blockbuster move to the Carolina Hurricanes.

The word “blockbuster” gets thrown around a little too often in today’s NHL, often for trades unworthy of the term, in the same way that anything might feel like a five-star meal to a starving man. But the deal that dropped on Friday night? That one deserves the title, no questions asked.

Facing the prospect of Colorado’s star winger Mikko Rantanen becoming an unrestricted free agent after this season, general manager Chris MacFarland felt the timing was right to deal him away and bolster the Avalanche’s roster for the future.

Fantasy hockey experts Jason Chen and Michael Amato break down Friday's big blockbuster that sent Mikko Rantanen to the Hurricanes and Martin Necas to the Avalanche.

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

Former Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen took to Instagram to share his gratitude to the franchise after being traded to the Hurricanes.

Although plenty of new information has emerged regarding the trade that sent Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche to the Carolina Hurricanes, we hadn’t heard from the player himself. In an article by Corey Masisak of The Denver Post,