Julia Frank

Trades are more than a business to fans. While we know it is what’s best for building a successful team, it can be disappointing to see some of your favorite players go. Trades bring buzz to the team and spark conversation within the hockey community. Personally, I like to read all the comments on posts related to them. I want to see if people share the same opinion as me on the trade. 

The most recent trade that caused a lot of buzz was the Mikko Rantanen trade. On January 24th of this year, the Avalanche traded him to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Martin Necas, Jack Drury, 2025 second round pick, and a 2026 fourth round pick in the draft. Rantanen has continuously been one of the top forwards in the league since he was drafted by the Avs in 2015. He had been a key player in winning the Stanley Cup in 2022 and worked well with Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar on the first line. 

However, no matter how attached we are to a certain player, there is always the potential for them to get traded to another team. Even though this engages the fans, it isn’t always a positive type of engagement, and this goes for all teams. This trade especially came as a shock. Avalanche fans and sports commentators had been speculating, as Rantanen’s contract was coming to an end. But we never thought it would happen because he was such an integral part of the team and beloved by the fans. I was on facetime with my parents when I found out about the trade. I didn’t think they would actually trade him and I ended my call with my parents to process it. Accepting the trade is part of the business, but liking it isn’t. Based on snippets of interviews on socials, it came as a shock to those on the team and Rantanen himself. A couple of weeks before the trade, the Nuggets gifted him a couple jerseys. The comments under this post were hoping this meant he was staying. 

Although Martin Necas has proven himself as a good addition to the team, it is still difficult to accept the trade of a seasoned player. Necas has integrated himself into the team and built a rapport with MacKinnon. Ultimately, it was a good trade and we got another exceptional player from it. No matter the trade, there will always be fan opinions about it, and while there may be a lot to say, the organization did it for a reason, and it needs to be trusted that they are doing what is best.