Colorado Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland may never live down the decision to trade Mikko Rantanen after this Game 7 hat trick against the Dallas Stars. He wasn't the man who sent Rantanen to the Stars, but choosing to get rid of him instead of riding out the rest of the season will be one of the most brutal mistakes ever after his performance. Insider Pierre Lebrun couldn't have summed up the ending to this series any better.

“Rantanen empty-netter for the hat trick. Wow. No Heiskanen, no Robertson, no problem,” Lebrun posted. “The Dallas Stars win a Stanley Cup level series with the rival Colorado Avalanche, one of the best series I've ever covered.”

MacFarland had enough foresight not to trade Rantanen in his division. He sent him to the Eastern Conference, where he hoped they'd never see him in the postseason unless the teams met in the Stanley Cup Final. However, when contract talks between Rantanen and the Carolina Hurricanes broke down, Eric Tulsky flipped him to the Stars at the trade deadline.

Mikko Rantanen's hat trick will go down in hockey lore

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Rantanen's third period hat trick was the first time in NHL history that a player scored all three goals for his hat trick in the third period of a Game 7. It'd be an impressive stat regardless, but the fact Rantanen did it against his old team makes it all the more special. Rantanen was heartbroken about the trade, and you likely can't imagine how he feels after getting his revenge on his former team.

It's vindication for him after the Avalanche didn't want to pay him the money his old friend, Nathan MacKinnon, is making. Rantanen was humble in his post-game interview with Emily Kaplan on the broadcast, but it must feel good to prove he can get it done in the postseason without his former superstar linemate. MacFarland will now have to live with the fact that a trade he made mid-season was the event that ultimately eliminated his team from the postseason.