MacKinnon gives brutal response when asked about the Rantanen trade.

As difficult as it may be I suspect that fans of the Colorado Avalanche have already accepted the grim reality that the trade of star forward Mikko Rantanen is one that their team and organization will be hearing about for a very, very, long time.

While the trade and the subsequent fallout are in some ways already old news here on this side of the pond, the same can't be said when it comes to Rantanen's home country of Finland where it seems the questions surrounding the mind-blowing mid-season trade are still being asked fairly regularly.

That was something that Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon learned this week when he was caught off guard by one such question when he was asked about the trade during his time at the International Ice Hockey Federation's World Championship tournament. MacKinnon was asked point blank whether or not he felt the trade was a mistake and, although MacKinnon never gave a firm answer one way or the other, his response spoke volumes.

"Uh...Oh," fumbled an embarrassed MacKinnon as per Finnish outlet Ilta Sanomat. "That's hard to say. I can't really give an answer. I think both sides... I don't know... Of course I would like him to be on the team, but he's not. So, I don't really know what to say."

Reading between the lines here it seems that MacKinnon may believe there is plenty of blame to go around when it comes to all parties involved in this matter, meaning both the Avalanche organization as well as Rantanen and his team of representatives. That being said MacKinnon was sure to stress that Rantanen remains a dear friend despite the recent developments.

"Of course I miss Mikko. And he scored a hat trick against us in Game 7," said MacKinnon. "Incredible player and a great friend of mine."

The only thing that seems clear in this matter is that MacKinnon is not at all happy with how things played out this season and you have to wonder how that might impact both player and team moving forward beyond this season, especially if Rantanen and the Dallas Stars go on a deep playoff run.