BOSTON — Nathan MacKinnon was stunned. He used other words — shocked and sad were two — to describe the Colorado Avalanche trading Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night. The best way to describe how he looked about 18 hours after an “Earth-shifting hockey trade” though, was stunned. “Yeah, it was shocking,” MacKinnon said Saturday afternoon, shortly after the Avs’ 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. “It was pretty late. It seemed late at night. Just sad. “I wish I could have talked about this … not right now. I’m upset about the loss, but just bigger picture — obviously losing Mikko, a really great friend. Nine years, 10 years together. Won a Cup. It’s just sad.” The Avalanche traded Rantanen to the Hurricanes for Martin Necas and Jack Drury in one of the most biggest transactions since the franchise moved to Colorado. Rantanen is in the final year of his contract and can be an unrestricted free agent on July 1. His pending free agency, and the Avs wanting to get deeper, were the two main reasons general manager Chris MacFarland cited before the game for the trade. MacKinnon and Cale Makar, the remaining two-thirds of what was the best “Big Three” in the NHL, and their coach all acknowledged the business side of the sport, that they’ve seen other beloved teammates leave and hope for the future. It was also clear that this trade shook the foundation of the franchise. “A tough day. A really tough day,” Bednar said. “You lose a good friend, good teammate, great player. It’s hard to see. It’s hard. “I understand the business side of things, and (it’s a) two-way street and they weren’t able to get a deal done. I think we got some good players that could come in and help us, but it doesn’t make it any easier.” MacKinnon said he spoke to Makar and captain Gabe Landeskog shortly after the trade. He also spoke on the phone for “close to 20 minutes” with Rantanen, but doesn’t know yet what happened. There are trades all the time in the NHL, but rarely of this magnitude. And rarely the night before a 1 p.m. start. It all made for a surreal experience, even for veteran players. “It’s weird being in the hotel and having a friend traded like that,” Makar said. “For me, if they couldn’t get something done, I trust management that they’re going to put us in a good spot to win and try and find pieces that are going to help us get better. “It’s really unfortunate. Losing a guy like Mikko is really tough. A really good friend and teammate, but we’ve got to move on.” Related Articles Colorado Avalanche | Avalanche Analysis: Trading Mikko Rantanen creates yet another huge “what if” since 2022 Stanley Cup run Colorado Avalanche | David Pastrnak stars as Bruins beat Avalanche 3-1 a day after the Rantanen trade Colorado Avalanche | Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland on Mikko Rantanen trade: “A bittersweet day” Colorado Avalanche | Keeler: Avalanche trade of Mikko Rantanen to Carolina raises red flags. And a very big white one Colorado Avalanche | The 10 biggest trades in Colorado sports history after Avs trade Mikko Rantanen to Carolina Necas and Drury were able to fly from Long Island, where the Hurricanes are set to play the Islanders on Saturday night, to Boston in time to make their debuts with the Avs. Rantanen was able to make the reverse commute, and will play for Carolina as well. The NHL grind doesn’t stop for teams to process something like this. And it clearly caught guys on the team off guard. MacKinnon said he didn’t have an indication that something like this was in the works. “No. I’ve just been asking (Rantanen) like is it … it’s just tough,” MacKinnon said. “You don’t want to get in someone’s business. It’s just hard. I remember when Gabe didn’t sign, it went to like the last hour when he was up. I just assumed it would kind of be the same thing. “I never thought in a million years he’d leave. So yeah, it just sucks.” Want more Avalanche news? Sign up for the Avalanche Insider to get all our NHL analysis.