ELMONT, N.Y. — Mikko Rantanen skated to center ice at UBS Arena and a familiar sound emanated from his teammates near the bench.

“Moooose.”

Rantanen scooped up the puck on his stick, smoothly moved toward the goaltender and then snapped a shot off the crossbar and into the net. His teammates cheered his slick shootout goal near the end of practice.

That was the only thing that felt familiar Monday morning at the New York Islanders‘ arena.

Rantanen was dressed all in red. He was practicing with the Carolina Hurricanes for the first time, getting ready for his second game with his new team after a blockbuster trade that marked the end of his time in Colorado and stunned the hockey world.

“Yesterday was a day off, so a lot of thoughts were going through my head,” Rantanen said. “I think it’s settled in now, for sure, but it’s still early, so maybe it will settle in even more in the next couple of weeks. Guys are great here. They’ve been very welcoming, so that makes it easier.”

Rantanen is in the final season of a six-year contract. He can be an unrestricted free agent in July.

In the aftermath of the trade, a three-team doozy that also sent Chicago’s Taylor Hall to Carolina while bringing Martin Necas and Jack Drury to Colorado, there’s been some reporting on where things stood on contract negotiations between the Avalanche and Rantanen, who is represented by Octagon Sports.

Rantanen has the fourth-most points in the NHL since the start of the 2020-21 season. One of the three guys ahead of him, Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl, signed an eight-year contract worth $14 million per season in September. Draisaitl and Rantanen are both Octagon clients.

“I was ready to take a significant discount for my market value,” Rantanen said. “We had some chats, like a couple days before. Then they traded me. That’s what happened. That’s why I didn’t expect what happened.

“I don’t want to go exactly into the numbers. I think some numbers have gone out already, I’ve heard. All I can say is, I was ready to take a discount.”

Rantanen wasn’t the only one surprised by the trade. Nathan MacKinnon said it was shocking and sad. Jared Bednar called it a hard day.

When Rantanen spoke shortly after his first game Saturday night, he wasn’t the same vivacious character that made him a beloved figure in Denver, both inside the locker room and out.

Now that he’s had a little time to decompress, is there anything he wishes had gone differently?

“I don’t know. I didn’t know we were in a rush,” Rantanen said. “That’s what I felt like. That’s my honest opinion. But it’s business and I understand. They’re trying to think what’s best for them and you’ve got to understand that. You’ve got to understand they are only doing the business how they think it is good for their future.”

Rantanen spent Sunday wandering around New York City with his girlfriend, trying to help it all sink in and get ready to move forward. Thanks to the quirks of the NHL schedule, the Avalanche and Hurricanes are hanging out in the same metro area.

Colorado had Monday off and will play here Tuesday at UBS Arena. Carolina will move into the city and play the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

Rantanen spoke with MacKinnon shortly after the trade and has chatted with a few of his now-former teammates. There’s a chance he could cross paths with them again on this trip.

“At the end of the day, it’s about work, and sometimes people change places,” Rantanen said. “Not every mailman or every doctor is in the same hospital or working for the same company the whole time. These things happen to people all the time. This is maybe more emotional than a normal switch, but I think you’ve got to be mentally strong. It helps that we play a lot of games. The games help to not think about the past, to think about the team now and how to help this team.”

Rantanen joins a team that was already among the Stanley Cup contenders and now has added one of the top players in the world (Rantanen) and a former league MVP (Hall). His new coach, Rod Brind’Amour, said he’ll need time to figure out how the Hurricanes like to play, but they know they’ve added a great player.

“Very exciting,” Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin said. “I think on a lower note, I’m excited to not have to defend him anymore when we come to Colorado and our lungs are sucking wind. He’s an unbelievable player, one of the best in the league. It’s huge for us.

“He’s a big boy. He skates well. He plays hard. He’s got the skill and he plays a hard game, so it’s going to be nice for have that with our system.”

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.

Colorado’s staff had already moved the Avs’ gear into the area near the visiting room at the Islanders arena. The hallway was filled with Colorado equipment bags. The Hurricanes were temporarily in the home dressing room after practice Monday.

There was one burgundy-and-blue bag among a sea of red.

“Well, I think 2022 is the one, the best time that we had (in Colorado),” Rantanen said. “It was big. Ten years is a long time being in an organization. It was very welcoming. Like I put it out in my statement yesterday, it was a good time all the time. My rookie year, we weren’t a winning team, but after that we made the playoffs every year.

“We were a successful team and to win it all with that organization was a dream come true.”

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