Aarif Deen

Mikko Rantanen is no longer part of the Avs organization — he's now riding shotgun with Sebastian Aho on the Carolina Hurricanes. As Nathan MacKinnon said, I never in a million years thought he would leave. And to be quite honest, it hasn't quite sunk in yet.

Mikko Rantanen breaks his silence on the trade. Did the Finnish forward ultimately force Chris MacFarland’s hand? Also, with Rantanen gone, the Avalanche trade board needs a refresh. Logan Thompson got a massive extension from the Caps. All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — January 28. Colorado Hockey Now The trade […]

The Colorado Avalanche (29-20-2) close out their three-game road trip against the New York Islanders (21-20-7) on Tuesday. Puck drop is scheduled for 5:38 p.m. MT.

The Avalanche entered the third at UBS Arena tied with the New York Islanders. All they needed to do was win a period and return home feeling good after an emotional road trip.

The Avalanche finally have a day off. It's also a good time to (again) slow down on the Crosby trade rumors. Also, Dallas' top defenseman was injured on an ugly play and another defenseman in Montreal also suffered an injury.

Following a 5-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday, the Avalanche return home with all kinds of issues that need to be sorted out.

Saad, 32, has struggled this season, scoring nine goals and adding seven assists in 43 games. The Blues placed him on waivers on Tuesday and intended to send him down to the AHL before the termination was announced. Saad is sacrificing roughly $5 million in guaranteed money to have an opportunity to explore other options.

Brandon Saad will be a free agent on Thursday after the sudden news that the player agreed to terminate his contract with the St. Louis Blues mutually.

But last Friday's blockbuster trade changed everything. It's been more than 30 years since a deal of this magnitude was made this late into an NHL season. And now the Mikko Rantanen trade will forever be linked to the Avs GM — whether the team has success or not.