Elliotte Friedman reports that money was one significant factor (perhaps the biggest) in the Colorado Avalanche’s decision to trade Mikko Rantanen.

According to Elliotte Friedman, speaking on NHL Network Radio, and Frank Seravalli, doing so on Prime's "NHL Coast to Coast," negotiations between Rantanen’s camp and the Avalanche are at a standstill, and how the team handles the situation before the trade deadline will shape its future.

I think it was just a tough business decision here for us," MacFarland said Saturday before the Avalanche faced the Boston Bruins. “I felt that the pieces we got made sense to strike now.” Colorado traded Rantanen in a three-team deal to Carolina a night earlier,