A former Bruins player and a soon-to-be Bruins opponent were each part of a sizable three-team deal involving the Avalanche, Blackhawks and Hurricanes. As expected Taylor Hall is on the move again. Hall, who spent parts of three seasons as a Bruin is going from Chicago to Carolina.

David Pastrnak had a goal and two assists, and the Boston Bruins beat Colorado 3-1 a day after the Avalanche traded star winger Mikko Rantanen

In his most recent trade board for The Athletic, NHL insider Chris Johnston reported that former Bruins forward Ryan Donato is "starting to attract some attention on the trade market."

Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said trading Mikko Rantanen to the Hurricanes was a "tough business decision," calling the star winger a "superstar human being."

In the tightly bunched Eastern Conference, where playoff berths and positioning seemingly change by the hour, however, it’s hard not to look ahead.

Chris MacFarland pointed to Rantanen’s pending free agency and the club’s desire to get deeper after three years of being short in that department as reasons for the trade. The NHL’s salary cap ceiling, which is set at $88 million this year but is expected to rise — possibly significantly — in the next couple of seasons is also a factor.

The Carolina Hurricanes are wasting no time introducing their latest acquisition to the organization. After swinging a massive trade for superstar Mikko Rantane

Necas and Drury, who were in New York for a game against the Islanders on Saturday night, made their way to Boston and played.

Facing the prospect of Mikko Rantanen becoming an unrestricted free agent after this season, Colorado general manager Chris MacFarland felt the timing was right to trade the star forward and bolster t

Like Rantanen, Marner is UFA-eligible on July 1. Friedman pointed out Marner has a full no-movement clause whereas Rantanen had a partial no-trade. Proteau believes he'll re-sign with the Leafs.

After that game, Avalanche players finally had a chance to publicly react to the trade, and the team's best player, Nathan MacKinnon, had one of the stronger reactions.