BOSTON -- Facing the prospect of Colorado's star winger Mikko Rantanen becoming an unrestricted free agent after this season, general manager Chris MacFarland felt the timing was right to deal him away and bolster the Avalanche's roster for the 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, acquiring forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury, as well as a second-round pick in this year's draft and a fourth-rounder in 2026.

Carolina also got forward Taylor Hall from Chicago in the trade.

Drafted 10th overall in 2015 by Colorado, the 28-year-old Rantanen, a two-time 100-point scorer who had an Avs' record 55 goals in 2022-23, was in line to become an unrestricted free agent after he and the organization couldn't agree on a new deal entering this year.

He had 25 goals and 39 assists when he was traded, and leaves Colorado with 287 career goals in his ninth full season. He helped them win the Cup in 2022.

The Avalanche and Hurricanes had been discussing Rantanen since last summer. Carolina GM Eric Tulsky said the past six to eight weeks saw them table "serious offers" for the winger, with the Hurricanes pushing hard to complete the trade in the last two weeks.

Trading a superstar is never easy, and MacFarland certainly had some anxious moments.

"It hurts, right. He's a homegrown talent. He's a superstar person, he's a superstar human being," he said. "I think that's sports, right. We're going talk about it, people are going to talk about it. Your heart strings get tugged. That's why we all do this.

"I'd be lying, I'm like that. He's that good of a hockey player. ... He had the UFA card and we felt this is what we had to do."

Rantanen was seeking a contract in the neighborhood of the eight-year extension Leon Draisaitl signed with the Edmonton Oilers in September. That deal carries an average annual value of $14 million. Both Rantanen and Draisaitl are represented by agent Andy Scott.

Now, Colorado faces the immediate future trying to remain a Stanley Cup contender along with planning for the future.

"You lose a superstar and we're going to have to try and replace him in the aggregate -- 50-goal scorers don't grow on trees," MacFarland said. "You have to usually draft and develop them. Mikko was a home run for us for many, many years."

And his former star player will now try and help Carolina win its first Cup since 2006.

"You feel that you do what's best for the logo and best for the team," MacFarland said.

MacFarland said it was important to have Necas, a speedy forward who led the Hurricanes in scoring this season, and Drury, an "emerging player" down the lineup, under contract and "cost-controlled" beyond this season. He said the trade will allow the Avalanche to potentially make more moves before the March 7 deadline.

"I think we're always sort of looking to get better. Certainly over the next few weeks that won't change. I think obviously there are a little more bullets in the draft pick cupboard and some cap space," he said.

In the end, retaining Rantanen for the contract he was seeking would have had too many repercussions for the Avalanche, who will have to resign star defenseman Cale Makar in 2027. While the salary cap is rising in the NHL, MacFarland said the team needs all the flexibility it can muster.

"The cap is going to go up but you still have to have your internal outlooks. It's clear we are not deep enough. I think that you've got to be deep to go four rounds and hopefully this is going to help that," MacFarland said. "Obviously Mikko is a superstar. You can't replace that. But he's a superstar that earned the right to be a free agent."

ESPN's Greg Wyshynski and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Carolina Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky said Saturday that his team has the desire and the financial flexibility to give newly acquired star winger Mikko Rantanen the massive contract he's seeking ahead of unrestricted free agency this offseason.

That is if he wants to remain with the Hurricanes.

Carolina stunned the NHL on Friday night by acquiring Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche in a three-way deal that also sent Chicago Blackhawks winger Taylor Hall to the Hurricanes. Rantanen is sixth in the NHL with 64 points in 49 games this season, including 25 goals. Since the 2021-22 season, he is fifth with 365 points in 286 games, including back-to-back 100-point seasons.

But Rantanen, 28, is an unrestricted free agent this summer, and his contract demands created a significant impasse with the Avalanche, with whom he has played for 10 seasons. The Hurricanes are hoping to meet Rantanen's asking price and convince him to commit long term.

"At this point, it's more of a recruiting pitch than a negotiation in my mind," Tulsky said Saturday.

Carolina has reached the playoffs in all six seasons of Rod Brind'Amour's head coaching tenure, including two trips to the Eastern Conference final. The team boasts a few players from Rantanen's native Finland, including friend and star center Sebastian Aho. Tulsky hopes the franchise's virtues -- and a contract to his liking -- will be enough to retain him.

"[Rantanen] is an incredible player. If he gets to free agency, I'm sure there will be teams that will pay him a lot of money, and so our job in the next weeks and months is to make it so he wants to be here," Tulsky said. "He has the right as a free agent to decide where to sign and it may not come down to the money for him. It may come down to where he wants to be. So our goal is to make him want to be here and then offer enough money that he doesn't have to think twice about it."

The Avalanche picked up Carolina forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury, as well as a second-round pick in this year's draft and a fourth-rounder in 2026. Chicago acquired its 2025 third-rounder from Carolina for Hall, the rights to Swedish forward Nils Juntorp and 50% retention on Rantanen's $9.25 million salary cap hit.

Colorado GM Chris MacFarland called the trade a "tough business decision." Rantanen was a popular star and clutch performer, amassing 101 points in 81 career playoff games. That included 25 points in 20 games when the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 2022.

Rantanen was seeking a contract similar to the eight-year extension Leon Draisaitl signed with the Edmonton Oilers in September. That deal carries an average annual value of $14 million. Rantanen and Draisaitl are represented by agent Andy Scott.

This is the second straight season the Hurricanes have traded for a star scoring winger with an expiring contract. Last year, they acquired Pittsburgh Penguins winger Jake Guentzel. The Hurricanes' efforts to re-sign him failed and he landed with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Tulsky, who is in his first season as Hurricanes general manager, said the conditions are more favorable to keep Rantanen than they were for retaining Guentzel.

Last season, the Hurricanes didn't have the cap flexibility to sign Guentzel and the other players they wanted. This offseason, Tulsky estimates the team could have between $35 million to $40 million in cap space. The Hurricanes will be the only team that can give Rantanen an eight-year contract, per NHL CBA rules.

"Our team situation is totally different right now," Tulsky said. "We don't feel nearly as constrained."

The Avalanche and Hurricanes had been discussing Rantanen since last summer. Tulsky said the teams tabled "serious offers" for the winger during the past six to eight weeks. The Hurricanes were pushing hard to complete the trade in the past two weeks.

Those talks with Colorado were happening while Carolina was also discussing trades with other teams. Sources told ESPN that the Hurricanes and Vancouver Canucks had engaged in negotiations about forwards Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller.

Tulsky said in the past week there was a desire for all parties to "get their best offers on the table" so the Hurricanes could decide which player to pursue.

"Everybody had multiple offers. It was sort of time for everyone to figure out what they wanted to do and this deal got done," he said. "It was a complicated dance."

The New York Rangers on Saturday agreed to terms with veteran defenseman Will Borgen on a five-year contract extension, the club announced. The deal will carry a $4.1 million average annual value, sources told ESPN's Kevin Weekes.

Borgen, 28, was acquired from the Seattle Kraken on Dec. 18 in the deal for forward Kaapo Kakko, a former No. 2 pick,. Borgen has three points since the trade, but more importantly, he ranks third on the team in blocked shots (29) and sixth in total ice time (316 minutes).

"He's been outstanding since he's been here," New York coach Peter Laviolette said this week. "For me, he's a big reason why things have quieted down a little bit. He skates well, he's physical, he plays with an edge, and he doesn't back down from anybody."

Borgen usually has been paired alongside veteran K'Andre Miller on the club's second defense pairing. He has been a pivotal piece in New York's overhaul on the blue line, especially after the in-season trade of former captain Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks.

Borgen, who was scheduled to become a free agent July 1, was originally selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the fourth round in 2015.

Everton manager David Moyes celebrated his 700th game in the Premier League with a gritty 1-0 win at Brighton, but has been left to sweat over the fitness of two key players in Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Orel Mangala.

A penalty from Iliman Ndiaye gave Everton the three points as they defended stoically in the face of relentless Brighton pressure, especially in the second half.

The win moves Everton seven points clear of the relegation zone and is the first time this season they have won back-to-back Premier League games.

"My 700th game in the Premier League and to come here and win, it is a great result for us," Moyes said. "It wasn't an easy task and in some areas we needed to play better. We are not at the levels we need to get to, but the players showed backbone and a bit of steel.

"It's incredible really," Moyes added to the Premier League when discussing the milestone. "When you start out, I don't think you ever believe you will become a Premier League manager but to get 700 games behind me is a fair achievement, I am very pleased.

"There's two great managers ahead of me in Arsene [Wenger] and Alex [Ferguson]. I don't think I'll be making their numbers, that's for sure."

Ferguson is second in the league's all-time list with 810 games as manager, while former Arsenal boss Wenger holds the record with 828 matches.

Calvert-Lewin went off after 10 minutes with what looked a hamstring injury and Mangala limped out of the game near the end. Both are key to how Everton play and will be sorely missed if they face a spell on the sidelines.

"They need to get checked but we are a bit worried about both Dom and Mangala," Moyes said. "I don't want to say they are serious injuries until we find out what they are, but the medical team don't seem to think they look the best."

Everton put in a battling display that had little finesse, but Moyes said while they ward off the threat of relegation, it is going to be the case that they seek substance over style.

"I think the supporters understand at the moment that we need to get ourselves out of trouble and it is a short-term fix," he said.

"There was bits of today when it was not so good, we could not control the game in the second half and we need to find ways to be better."

Pep Guardiola has said Abdukodir Khusanov "will learn" after the young defender's nightmare debut against Chelsea.

Khusanov gifted Chelsea a goal inside three minutes of his first City appearance following his 33.6m ($41.6m) move from Lens last week.

The 20-year-old Uzbekistan international was booked for a foul on Cole Palmer just a minute later and was eventually substituted early in the second half.

City recovered from their poor start to win 3-1 thanks to goals from Josko Gvardiol, Erling Haaland and Phil Foden to move back into the top four of the Premier League.

"Well, what I thought is not the best start, right?," Guardiola said.

"He will take a lesson. He's so young, he's come for many years. It's not the best start of course, but dealing with [Nicolas] Jackson, with Cole ]Palmer], with all these incredible players is not easy.

"He will learn. He's young, he will learn, I'm pretty sure. Take a lesson from that."

Khusanov was forced into an early debut at centre-back because of injuries to Rúben Dias and Nathan Aké. John Stones was only fit enough to be named on the bench.

Guardiola said needs Stones to be available for the crucial Champions League clash with Club Brugge on Wednesday.

Khusanov is not eligible to play in the Champions League and Dias and Ake remained sidelined, with City having to win to have a chance to progress from the league phase after a difficult campaign.

"I have to learn Russian or Uzbek to communicate with him [Khusanov]," Guardiola said.

"He doesn't speak fluently in English. In this kind of situation, there's nothing much to say. He knows he made a mistake.

"What can I say? Don't do a mistake? He doesn't want to do it, so we know that.

"I make a substitution mainly for the yellow card, not just for the mistake. I need John for Wednesday."

Manchester City earned a 3-1 comeback win over Chelsea at Etihad Stadium on Saturday to go back into the top four in the Premier League.

New signing Abdukodir Khusanov had a disastrous start to his City career, gifting Chelsea the opener in the third minute, but goals from Josko Gvardiol, Erling Haaland and Phil Foden spared him as Pep Guardiola's team bounced back from their harrowing Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in midweek.

City are fourth in the league on 41 points, while Chelsea now sit sixth on 40, with Newcastle United between the two teams.

Khusanov, signed this week from French side Lens, left his header back to Ederson short, which allowed Nicolas Jackson to steal the ball and square it for Noni Madueke to put Chelsea in front.

A minute later, the Uzbekistan international was booked for a challenge on Cole Palmer, and after struggling to find his feet in English football he was eventually replaced early in the second half by John Stones.

Fellow new signing Omar Marmoush fared better up front as he too made his debut. The Egypt striker caused plenty of trouble for the Chelsea back line in the opening 45 minutes, and his industry up front helped peg the visitors back.

City struck back with defender Gvardiol levelling three minutes before half-time as he reacted quickest to slot home a rebound.

Haaland then put the hosts in front after 68 minutes with an impudent chip that took advantage of some suspect positioning from Robert Sánchez in the Chelsea goal. 

Foden's breakaway goal, which came after more good work from Haaland in the 87th minute, wrapped up the three points to give City a positive end to a chastening week ahead of their must-win Champions League clash with Club Brugge on Wednesday.

"When we had the start like we did it is difficult, but we played really well and we kept on going and kept on going," Haaland told the BBC.

"We kept pushing, and second half was the same. In the end it is what we need to do. We need to lock it in the back and keep going attacking-wise."

Pep Guardiola declined to criticise Khusanov despite the defender's rocky start.

"The players were together. That was massively important. Any player can make a mistake. The fans always support the new players. He's so young. He will learn," Guardiola said.

Kylian Mbappé said he's more concerned about Real Madrid winning the league than finishing as LaLiga's top scorer after grabbing his first hat trick for the club in their 3-0 win at Real Valladolid on Saturday.

Mbappé opened the scoring in the 30th minute -- after a smart one-two with Jude Bellingham -- before adding a second goal in the 57th minute and then converting a penalty in added time.

The result left Madrid top of the LaLiga table on 49 points, four points clear of second-placed Atlético Madrid, who drew 1-1 with Villarreal earlier on Saturday.

"I'm happy with the hat trick, but I'm more happy with the win," Mbappé told Real Madrid TV. "It was very important to win today. After Atleti's result, there was more pressure."

Mbappé has now scored 15 league goals this season -- 22 in all competitions -- and is on a red-hot streak of eight goals in his last five games.

Speaking earlier this week, teammates Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo said they wanted to ensure Mbappé ended the season as Spain's leading goal scorer, or Pichichi.

"Rodrygo and I are going to do all that we can for Mbappé to be top scorer in every competition, because that's why he came here," Vinícius said.

"That's nice, but I could say I need to help them too," Mbappé responded on Saturday after his treble. "We all want the team to win. If I'm top scorer, great -- I've done it a lot of times in my career -- but winning the league is the most important thing for me."

Coach Carlo Ancelotti called Mbappé "the best centre-forward in the world" last weekend.

"I said the first day here that I can play in all three positions in attack," Mbappé said, when asked about playing centrally.

"My adaptation is over for sure. I feel good, with my movements, and my teammates, you can see it on the pitch."

"[Mbappé] has been playing well for a while," Ancelotti said in his post-match news conference. "He scored three goals for the first time. He's contributing a lot. He found his rhythm a couple of months ago. It's a plus for us. He's a player who has a lot of quality."

Manchester City moved back into the top four of the Premier League with an impressive 3-1 win over Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola's side issued the perfect response to the demoralising Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain to come from behind against Chelsea thanks to goals from Josko Gvardiol, Erling Haaland and Phil Foden.

City handed debuts to winter transfer signings Abdukodir Khusanov and Omar Marmoush from the start -- and Khusanov endured a nightmare, gifting Chelsea the opening goal inside three minutes. The 33.6 million signing from RC Lens missed a bouncing ball and then saw his weak header back to Éderson incepted by Nicola Jackson, who squared for Noni Madueke to tap into an empty net.

Gvardiol had two good chances to equalise before taking his third opportunity just before halftime. Matheus Nunes latched onto Ilkay Gündogan's ball over the top and with goalkeeper Robert Sánchez rushing out to meet him, the ball fell into Gvardiol's path to score with a simple finish.

City were the better team in the second half and eventually got a second goal through Erling Haaland. Ederson's long ball forward was flicked on by the Norwegian, who chased it down and wrestled off Trevoh Chalobah. With Sanchez stuck in no-man's land, Haaland lifted his finish over the Chelsea goalkeeper and into the net for his 18th league goal of the season.

Foden wrapped up the result in the closing stages, collecting Haaland's clever pass to run through from the halfway line to score his sixth goal in his past six games.

Man City's rise and Chelsea's fall marks a shift in title race

Manchester City's comeback win -- staggeringly, only their sixth victory in 20 games across all competitions -- was enough to put Guardiola's side back in the top four and may signal a turning point in what has been a shockingly bad season thus far.

With UEFA's co-efficient system looking likely to award a Champions League spot to fifth place, City are suddenly right back in contention having now gone unbeaten in the league for a month. Coming just three days after their capitulation to Paris Saint-Germain, City's league position will offer a degree of comfort to Guardiola, particularly given he threw in two debutants here and watched his team fall behind.

Chelsea, by contrast, end Saturday in sixth place -- a remarkable fall from grace, which fully extinguishes any talk of Enzo Maresca's side being part of the title race.

They have now won one game in seven and their game plan was undone in troubling fashion. The high defensive line, which initially caused City problems, ended up being badly exposed as Madueke allowed Gvardiol to run in behind one too many times to equalise. Haaland and Foden later also beat Chelsea's offside trap too easily to find the scoresheet.

In truth, the Blues' response after falling behind was almost nonexistent -- an attitude made all the more surprising given this result could represent an important swing in the race for Europe. -- James Olley

Chelsea's wait for a statement win drags on

One curious quirk of Chelsea's season is that they have taken more points on the road (21) than at home (19) -- yet they are without a statement away win under Maresca, who took over the club this season.

They were beaten at Liverpool in October -- somewhat unfortunately -- before losing at Newcastle in the EFL Cup and drawing at Manchester United. December's 4-3 victory at Tottenham was arguably their most significant success outside of Stamford Bridge given they came from 2-0 down and they had City on the back foot early on, seemingly ready to capitalise on their current fragility.

And yet the opportunity slipped through their grasp. They were curiously passive after the opening half-an-hour or so, allowing City to recover their poise and turn the game around.

Something needs to change soon for Maresca. Chelsea's next four away games are at Brighton twice -- once in the FA Cup fourth round -- Aston Villa and then Arsenal. Their self-belief drained away to a troubling extent and more resistance is needed to ensure their season does not unravel further. -- Olley

Rough start for Man City's January signing Khusanov

Man City's comeback win may render it more of a footnote, but it was a disastrous start for Khusanov. Thrown straight into the centre of defence after just three training sessions with his new teammates, the 20-year-old was all over the place in the opening five minutes.

With only his third touch, he sold Ederson short with a routine header back and allowed Jackson to set up Madueke. Immediately afterwards he misplaced a pass into midfield and was booked for hacking down Cole Palmer as he tried to make amends.

There were points during the opening exchanges when it looked like his teammates were reluctant to give him the ball. He eventually settled himself down with a couple of simple passes -- each of which were enthusiastically cheered by the City fans in an attempt to make the youngster feel better.

Guardiola will not have wanted to chuck Khusanov in at the deep end after just 18 months in Belarus and 31 appearances for RC Lens, but he will feel that he had no choice. Rúben Dias and Nathan Aké are both injured and John Stones, who was on the bench but not fully fit, is needed against Club Brugge next week in the Champions League, a competition Khusanov is not eligible to play in.

Khusanov was eventually replaced by Stones after just 53 minutes. He got a word of encouragement from Stones on his way off and a hug and a pat on the back from Guardiola. -- Rob Dawson

Marmoush looks poised to boost Man City

The game will be remembered for Khusanov's debut rather than Marmoush's, but the 63m signing from Eintracht Frankfurt looked sharp.

He had a goal ruled out in the first half when Gundogan's shot came back off Sanchez. He should have left the finish to Bernardo Silva, who was onside, but he can't be criticised too heavily for his desperation to score. It was the same in the second half when he opted to shoot instead of sending Foden clear through and got an earful from the England midfielder.

Playing on the left of a front three is probably not his favourite position, but he still did enough to show that he can add something to this City team. He was confident enough to take on Reece James and was constantly looking to stretch Chelsea's defence with runs in behind.

With Haaland a certain starter and Kevin De Bruyne and Foden first-choice to play in the attacking midfield positions, it might take a while for Marmoush to find out where he fits in. But on his debut he looked quick, skilful and hungry for goals which can only be good news for Guardiola.

After being substituted in the second half, the cameras caught Marmoush chatting to Jack Grealish and wearing a big smile. He certainly enjoyed himself more than Khusanov. -- Dawson

Pressure mounts on goalkeeper Sanchez

Haaland took his winning goal brilliantly, but the opportunity was made far easier by another moment of indecision from Sanchez in goal.

Although Haaland looked like he had the beating of Chalobah as he chased his own flick-on, the Norwegian striker was still a long way from goal when Sanchez inexplicably decided to rush off his line. Quickly realising he would never make up the ground to Haaland, he checked back and left himself stranded off his goal line as City's No. 9 cut back on his left foot and lifted a fine finish into the net.

It is the second bad error in a week after a mistake against Wolves and places Sanchez under further scrutiny, especially in the context of Maresca's pre-match comments where he said the 27-year-old was "getting better, but still far, far, far from where I want him to be."

Maresca also refused to confirm whether Sanchez would be his No. 1 next season. With summer signing Filip Jorgensen impressing in the Conference League, there is now a growing debate about whether Sanchez should be in goal next week. -- Olley