The Mikko Rantanen trade that stunned Colorado fans in 2025 may not have been as straightforward as it looked in the moment.
On Thursday’s edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Elliotte Friedman said the whole thing was close to falling apart. While discussing the Carolina Hurricanes’ interest in Connor Hellebuyck, he used the Rantanen situation to show how Carolina operates - and noted that the Hurricanes actually wanted Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks, not Rantanen from Colorado.
“When they (Carolina) traded for Rantanen from Colorado, so that night, I actually heard about (Elias) Pettersson from Vancouver, and they had two deals on the table. I was slow to turn to pivot to Rantanen because I thought Pettersson was going to get done.”
That turned the night into a scramble. Carolina reportedly had both options in play, but when the pressure point arrived, the Hurricanes essentially told Colorado and Vancouver it was time to make their best offer.
Colorado answered. Vancouver didn’t.
“So, that night, it was either Rantanen or it was Pettersson. And, I guess they said to both Colorado and Vancouver, ‘It’s time… It’s time for your best.’ And Colorado came forward with the deal that they took, and Vancouver just didn’t.”
Colorado’s response sent Rantanen to Carolina and brought Martin Necas back the other way. In the end, that package has looked like a fit for the Avalanche, with Necas becoming the kind of player many expected him to be.
Some of that, of course, comes from skating alongside Nathan MacKinnon. But the key point is that Colorado moved decisively when the chance was there.
Rantanen later said he was blindsided by the trade, but Friedman’s account adds another layer to the story: the Avalanche were willing to act, and they got the deal done before the whole thing could slip away.
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