After Colorado's blockbuster trade last week, there's been an adjustment period for the Avalanche's new players. And the centerpiece of the Avs' return on that trade is thriving.

The Blackhawks could expedite their painstaking rebuilding process and be significant players in free agency this summer.

The latest round of speculation started after the Hurricanes acquired Mikko Rantanen in a blockbuster trade on Friday, fueling "baseless rumors," as labeled by The Athletic's Josh Yohe, that the Avalanche might be positioning themselves to acquire Crosby.

The Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks got together on Friday night and gave us one of the biggest blockbuster trades in

The Colorado Avalanche were never going to pay Mikko Rantanen $14 million per season. They’ve set an internal cap at $12.5 million (Nathan MacKinnon‘s contract), and when Rantanen informed the Avs he wasn’t going to sign below that number,

Earlier in the week, the Blackhawks traded Taylor Hall to the Hurricanes, and Connor Bedard is now reacting to the move.

The Carolina Hurricanes have acquired forwards Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche and Taylor Hall from the Chicago Blackhawks in a three-team trade.

Mikko Rantanen does not believe he priced himself out of the future plans of the Colorado Avalanche. Speaking with Finnish media Sunday, Rantanen said, “Discussions about an extension with the club were open.

The deal sees Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall go to Carolina and Martin Necas, Jack Drury and draft picks head to Colorado. Chicago gets its own 2025 third-round pick back and takes on half of Rantanen's $9.

According to the latest reports, Rantanen was seeking a contract worth $14 million per season, although he could have been willing to take less money to stay in Colorado. Even a figure near Nathan MacKinnon’s $12.6 million average annual value might already have posed a challenge to the Avalanche.

Drury’s uncle is Chris Drury, who spent four seasons with the Avalanche (1998-02), was a member of the 2001 Stanley Cup championship team and is the current General Manager of the New York Rangers.

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