The Colorado Avalanche and Toronto Maple Leafs are both looking to contend for a Stanley Cup this season. With that in mind, it seems as though both teams are looking to become buyers by the 2025 Trade Deadline in hopes of bolstering their respective rosters for a deep playoff run.
Related: Analyst’s Sidney Crosby to the Maple Leafs Trade Proposal Doesn’t Make Sense
The Maple Leafs seem to have the strongest lineup they’ve had in quite some time, while the Avalanche have been struggling with their defensive play and lack of consistent goaltending, but they both still look like guarantees in the postseason. With potential trades in mind, an analyst spoke about a massive blockbuster deal between the two teams, suggesting they swap Mitchell Marner and Mikko Rantanen.
.@AnsonCarterLA just proposed a Marner for Rantanen trade… 👀 pic.twitter.com/ybDQh6YGh0
— NHLonTNT (@NHL_On_TNT) November 28, 2024
While Marner and Rantanen are both on expiring contracts and are pending unrestricted free agents, this deal doesn’t really make sense for either team for a few reasons. One of the more interesting reasons would be the chemistry built between duos on each team, that being Rantanen with Nathan Mackinnon on the Avalanche, and Marner with Auston Matthews on the Maple Leafs. The argument could be made that chemistry would come at some point considering every player involved plays at an elite level, but there is no guarantee.
There is always the risk of losing an elite player for nothing, so considering a trade proposal for either player makes sense to a degree considering it would be smart to maximize their value rather than letting another team take them for free. However, if the two were to be swapped for each other, they would still be without contracts and no guarantees would be in place, so a trade of this magnitude simply wouldn’t work.
Maple Leafs Receive Proven Playoff Performer, Avalanche Lose Deal
The Maple Leafs have always had the reputation of a team that can’t perform when the postseason comes around, and Marner has been singled out many times by fans because of his defensive play. While he doesn’t usually slow down offensively in the postseason, he usually takes a step back defensively and has costed his team games in the past with some silly mistakes. His most memorable playoff mistake came when he took a penalty for shooting the puck over the glass in the first round of the 2020-2021 playoffs giving the Montreal Canadiens a 5-on-3 man advantage, which eventually helped them build momentum to win and force a seventh game, which they won.
While most fans are able to look past his mistakes and recognize he maintains offensive consistency in the playoffs, it’s hard to give him more credit when he has only won one playoff series in his career with the Maple Leafs. While he hasn’t been the key reason for their lack of success, he hasn’t found a way to elevate his game in a way that makes the Maple Leafs hard to play against, and considering Rantanen is a proven playoff performer and former Stanley Cup champion, this mock trade would benefit the Maple Leafs more.
The biggest difference between Marner and Rantanen is their playoff performances. Marner is under a point-per-game pace with 11 goals and 39 assists for 50 points through 57 playoff games, while Rantanen has scored 34 goals and added 67 assists for 101 points through 81 playoff games which comes out to a 1.25 points-per-game average. On top of that, Rantanen won a Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2022 and was a huge part of their success that season, thus giving the Maple Leafs an even bigger advantage in this hypothetcial blockbuster deal.
At the end of the day, this deal is just hypothetical. However, if something ever came close to this, the Maple Leafs would have to put more in a trade package with Marner if they hoped to bring Rantanen back in return. Realistically, both Marner and Rantanen are in for massive pay raises this upcoming offseason, and could fetch upwards of $13 million annually if they hit the open market. With that being said, I don’t think either player gets traded before the 2025 Trade Deadline, especially not in a one-for-one swap, so this deal doesn’t make sense.
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