The Toronto Maple Leafs were extremely active during deadline day on Friday (Mar. 7) bringing in Brandon Carlo from the Boston Bruins and Scott Laughton from the Philadelphia Flyers, while also moving Connor Dewar and Conor Timmins to the Pittsburgh Penguins. While they did make some improvements to their lineup, there seemed to have been a superstar forward they were interested in bringing in before he was traded elsewhere, and that was Mikko Rantanen. The Dallas Stars ended up acquiring Rantanen in exchange for Logan Stankoven, two first-round draft picks, and two third-round draft picks, and the Stars also re-signed Rantanen to an eight-year extension.
While mixed reports have come out after deadline day, insider Elliotte Friedman revealed the massive asking price the Hurricanes had if they were going to send Rantanen to the Maple Leafs, and that was Mitchell Marner. Friedman was very clear that the Maple Leafs did not offer Marner to the Hurricanes directly but had discussions with him about whether he was interested in changing teams. Nothing ever came to fruition, but it sounds like conversations went far enough for them to ask Marner to consider waiving his no-movement clause, which he wouldn’t do.
Related: Marner Refusing to Waive NMC Shows Desire to Stay with Maple Leafs Long-Term
Marner, who is 27 years old, has scored 21 goals and added 58 assists for 79 points through 62 games this season. Throughout his career, he has scored 215 goals and added 503 assists for 718 points through 638 games which comes out to a 1.13 points-per-game average. The Maple Leafs ultimately didn’t get a deal done for Rantanen and will make a playoff run confident with the team they’ve put together heading toward the postseason. As they push for their first Stanley Cup since 1967, Marner will likely be a key factor in their success.
What Could Rantanen Have Meant for the Maple Leafs?
With all the looming contract talks surrounding Marner, it’s interesting to think about what Rantanen joining the Maple Leafs could have meant for their team. Rantanen is a top-15 player in the NHL and has proven himself to be lethal offensively while playing sound defensively. He didn’t fit well with the Carolina Hurricanes which led to him being flipped for a second time in the same season, but it seems like his fit with the Dallas Stars is a little better. Time will tell, but he should add firepower to their lineup as they look to make a push for a championship.
Rantanen joining the Maple Leafs would have been the icing on the cake for them and likely would have placed them among betting favourites for the Stanley Cup champion this season. Losing Marner would have hurt in a big way considering the chemistry he’s built with his teammates in Toronto is evident on a nightly basis, and he is also a strong playoff performer. Not to say Rantanen isn’t, but bringing in a superstar means moving out another superstar, which may have been extremely risky.
However, Rantanen has proven time and time again that he is one of the best players in the NHL. He has a natural scoring touch and likely would have done well alongside Auston Matthews. Fans will likely speculate that the team considering trading Marner likely spells the end of Marner’s time as a member of the Maple Leafs after this season, but things can change fast in the NHL, and only time will tell how his situation unfolds.
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