Avs HC Jared Bednar gets brutally honest about healing from loss of Mikko Rantanen

Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar was candid when asked about moving on from the loss of Mikko Rantanen.

Rantanen was traded from Colorado to the Hurricanes in January and was dealt to the Dallas Stars at the trade deadline.

He then played a crucial role in eliminating his former team from the playoffs last season. He put up 12 points in the seven-game series, including a hat trick in the decisive Game 7 that knocked the Avalanche out.

Now, with the Avalanche set to face the Stars again on Saturday this new season, Bednar reflected on facing his former player.

"I mean once you play him in once you play him in a playoff series for me like it's like your business, you know, focused and that's it, you know, he's gone, he's gone," Bednar said. “Like for me took me about 10 minutes, you know, not that I don't like Mikko and, you know, but once like I'm not I'm not dwelling in the past on any of that kind of stuff. Like you have to move forward, move forward quickly."

The Avalanche have started this season strong with back-to-back wins, a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings and a 2-1 win against Utah.

Meanwhile, Rantanen recorded three points, one goal, two assists, in his first game of the season, a 5-4 win over the Jets. He’s now in the first year of his eight-year, $96 million contract with the Stars after being traded from Carolina.

Mikko Rantanen on facing his former team Colorado Avalanche

Mikko Rantanen spoke on Friday about what it will be like to face his former team, the Avalanche, as the Dallas Stars prepared for their matchup at Ball Arena.

Rantanen said, he’s ready for whatever reception comes his way, acknowledging that Avs fans might not be thrilled to see him in a rival jersey.

“It’s always going to be fun to come here, and always have a lot of respect for the fans and how supportive they were in 10 years here. They were really good to me for 10 years, so only good thoughts about the fans," Rantanen said.

Still, Rantanen reflected fondly on his years with Colorado and called it a special chapter in his career.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash