RALEIGH, N.C. -- Mikko Rantanen scored his first goal for the Carolina Hurricanes in a 3-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks at Lenovo Center on Thursday.

Speaking to The Athletic’s Peter Baugh on Monday, Rantanen shared his thoughts on the trade, his contract talks with the Avalanche and his new chapter in Carolina. Most interestingly, Rantanen confirmed that he was "ready to take a significant discount" to stay in Colorado, as initially reported by Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.

On Friday night, the Carolina Hurricanes made a blockbuster deal with the Colorado Avalanche, acquiring Mikko Rantanen in exchange for Martin Necas and Jack Drury.

The Avalanche began the process of moving on with its first win since the deal Sunday afternoon against the Rangers. Drury scored a goal. Necas was dynamic, collecting two assists and hitting both the crossbar and post with shots while playing in Rantanen’s old spot next to MacKinnon.

Here are our Mikko Rantanen trade grades for the Blackhawks, Avalanche, and Hurricanes after Friday's stunning deal.

Carolina Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky is explaining his reasons for pushing for Mikko Rantanen, in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche. Carolina engaged in a trade with the Avalanche, as well as Chicago on Friday. The end result is that Rantanen is now a Hurricane.

The Colorado Avalanche have traded Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes, according to multiple reports. Once official, this will be one of the most stunning transactions in franchise history. Martin Necas and Jack Drury are coming to Colorado as part of the deal,

After the blockbuster trade, the Hurricanes are the favorites to come out of the East with a 12.7 percent chance of winning the Cup.

Who won Friday night's blockbuster that saw Mikko Rantanen go from the Colorado Avalanche to the Carolina Hurricanes?

The Colorado Avalanche has traded Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes in one of the most stunning transactions in franchise history.

After one of the biggest in-season blockbuster trades in recent history, could the Mikko Rantanen deal have a rippling effect?