DENVER (AP) — Mikko Rantanen went out to dinner the night before with some of his old Colorado Avalanche teammates to catch up. He stepped onto the ice Sunday with them as his newest rivals.

Being back at Ball Arena for the first time as a visitor was a surreal experience for Rantanen. The new Dallas Stars forward took it all in — and now is moving on.

“Playing against them is not that fun, because they’re obviously good players and a good team,” Rantanen said after Cale Makar scored 34 seconds into overtime to give Colorado a 4-3 win.

Rantanen appreciated the fan support throughout the game. He tapped his heart as the video screen showed highlights in the first period of his decade-long Avalanche career, culminating with him hoisting the Stanley Cup.

The crowd greeted Rantanen with a mixture of cheers of “Moose” — his nickname — and, of course, some boos. Once a fan favorite, Rantanen is now a fierce rival following his arrival with the Stars.

“Obviously, the video and reception from the fans, I’ll never forget that,” said Rantanen, who also watched a pregame tribute to former linemate Nathan MacKinnon in celebration of the Avalanche forward reaching 1,000 career points. “The fans had my back for 10 years, so it means a lot.”

No surprise, Rantanen heard the most boos when his name was announced on an assist to set up the first goal of the game for the Stars.

“I thought he handled it exceptionally well,” Dallas coach Pete DeBoer said of Rantanen's return. “I’m proud of how he played tonight, considering the circumstances. He’s just going to get better and better for us."

Makar was one of the players to have dinner with Rantanen on Saturday night.

“We had to fight for him to pay the bill,” Makar cracked. “It’s always good to see Mikko. It’s unfortunate that we’ll be seeing a lot more of him now, but, yeah, it’s good.

“He's an amazing guy. We all love him and I know he loves us, too.”

It’s been a whirlwind of emotions for Rantanen since he was traded to Carolina on Jan. 24. That particular move caught him off guard. Rantanen, the 10th overall selection by Colorado in 2015, was set to be a free agent this summer and figured the sides were simply negotiating.

“At the end of the day, I always wanted to stay in Colorado,” Rantanen said Saturday. “That was the plan, and that’s what I told the front office, too. I told them face-to-face that I was going to be flexible, but I understand. Better players than me have been traded in the history of NHL. So it happens. It’s part of the business.”

Rantanen was a popular figure in the Colorado locker room and helped the Avalanche to the 2022 Stanley Cup title. His name remains all over the franchise’s career leaders list, including the sixth-highest goal scorer with 287.

As part of a three-team trade that landed Rantanen in Carolina, the Avalanche received forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury.

"I went there with an open mind to play there long term,” Rantanen said. “I tried my best.”

He played in 13 games with the Hurricanes and had two goals and four assists.

On March 7, Carolina sent Rantanen to the Stars for forward Logan Stankoven and draft picks. Rantanen agreed to an eight-year, $96 million contract with Dallas.

“I’m very happy to be here now,” said Rantanen, who has two goal and two assists in four games with the Stars. “It’s a good team, and they’ve been good, successful the last couple years. They have a good, young core, great coach, so it's good."

Stars teammate Matt Duchene, who also started his career with the Avalanche, was impressed with how Rantanen handled the emotions of his Colorado return. Not only that, but how he's fitting in after the trade to Dallas.

“I’ve seen what he can do. We’ve all seen it, and we’ve seen glimpses of it," Duchene said. "As he continues to get comfortable, he’ll take right off.”

The way it's shaping up, the Stars and Avalanche could very well square off in the first round of the playoffs. The teams met last season in a second-round series that Dallas captured in six games.

“It’s two good teams,” Rantanen said. “It will be a good one, for sure.”

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