Avs GM Chris MacFarland bet his legacy on Mikko Rantanen trade

Fair or not, the legacy of Colorado Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland will be tied to the stunning trade of superstar Mikko Rantanen.

When MacFarland pulled the trigger on a deal on Friday night that sent Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Martin Necas and Jack Drury, Avs fans went through a variety of emotions.

Shock, anger, sadness and confusion all applied. This was one of the most heartbreaking trades in Denver sports history.

Rantanen was beloved. Not only is he a Stanley Cup champion, an All-Star and a top-15 hockey player on the planet, he’s a fan-favorite. Everyone who’s met or interacted with Rantanen has nothing but good things to say about him. Head coach Jared Bednar called him a “great friend.” Nathan MacKinnon said it was “just sad” and Rantanen was a “great teammate” who he’s going to miss.

But it was something else that MacKinnon said that was even more impactful. Trades like this in the NHL simply don’t happen very often, if ever.

“A lot of the guys are just shocked. It’s pretty crazy someone like that getting traded. He’s a big part of our team, our culture,” MacKinnon said.

And that’s why in making the Rantanen trade, MacFarland is betting his legacy. This is a huge deal.

Many thought Rantanen would finish his career in Colorado. A contract extension would somehow get worked out. It’s nearly impossible to picture him in another jersey, but we got that visual on Saturday night when Rantanen made his Hurricanes debut.

Yes, MacFarland didn’t want to be the GM that let Rantanen walk this summer for nothing. But he did the deal on Jan. 24. The NHL trade deadline isn’t until March 7. Why not negotiate over these next six weeks and hammer out a new contract? Was the relationship that broken?

Not according to Rantanen.

Peter Baugh of The Athletic, who covered the Avalanche’s Stanley Cup run in 2022, spoke to Rantanen on Monday in a wide-ranging interview.

“I didn’t know we were in a rush,” Rantanen told Baugh. “That’s what I felt. That’s my honest opinion.” 

Clearly, Rantanen thought they had until early March to get something done. MacFarland felt differently, and Rantanen was gone in a Friday night news dump.

“It’s a raw business, and you’re out of there,” Rantanen added. 

That business decision by MacFarland will be how he’s ultimately judged by Avalanche fans. He wasn’t in charge when they won the title in 2022, that was Joe Sakic. Mere days after the championship parade, Sakic was promoted to team president and MacFarland to GM.

One of his first moves was picking Valeri Nichushkin over Nazem Kadri in free agency. Then last year he traded Bowen Byram for Casey Mittelstadt. The Gabriel Landeskog situation has continued under MacFarland’s watch, not playing for Colorado the last three years. But above all those things, trading Rantanen was his biggest decision to date.

And this isn’t to say MacFarland hasn’t done good things as the GM. Earlier this season he ditched goalies Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen for Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood. Those both look like huge upgrades in net.

But we’ll have to see how Necas and Drury play in Avalanche uniforms the rest of this season and in the playoffs. We’ll also have to monitor Rantanen in Carolina, now that he’s no longer on a line with MacKinnon.

Hopefully, there’s more trades coming. Because on the surface, Rantanen for Necas and Drury isn’t adequate compensation. Rantanen had 104 points last year. Necas had 53, Drury had 27. In the 2022-23 season, Rantanen tallied 55 goals. The career-high for Necas is 28 goals. For Drury, it’s eight.

No, MacFarland better have another move or two up his sleeve. Now that Rantanen’s contract is off the books, Colorado has a little bit of salary cap room to play with. MacFarland would be wise to make the most of that between now and March 7 if he thinks the Avs can win the Stanley Cup this year.

And with MacKinnon and Cale Makar on the roster, it’d be a disservice to the fans to operate with any other mindset.

Chris MacFarland put the pressure on himself when he traded Mikko Rantanen. Now, it better work out, or he might be looking for a new gig sooner rather than later.