In today’s NHL rumors rundown, Mitch Marner was reportedly asked to waive his no-move clause by the Toronto Maple Leafs in a potential deal for Mikko Rantanen. Elsewhere, the New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello seemed disappointed in the outcome of the trade deadline for him and the team, and was hoping to get younger and better. Finally, Dylan Cozens is making a great first impression with the Ottawa Senators after being acquired in a heartbreaking trade for many players and fans.
Marner Declined to Waive No-Move Clause for Rantanen Swap
When Marner signed his six-year deal back in 2019, he earned the right to have a no-move clause in it. With no contract for next season as of now, the Maple Leafs were looking at a way to get creative at the trade deadline. In yesterday’s column I wrote about the reported offer of Easton Cowen, Fraser Minten, and picks heading to the Carolina Hurricanes, as reported by Nick Kypreos, but yesterday, Elliotte Friedman dropped a bombshell.
Friedman reported that the Hurricanes asked for Marner in a deal that would send Rantanen to the Maple Leafs, and Toronto had gone as far as to ask Marner to waive his no-trade clause. He declined to waive, which is his right, and wants to finish the season with the Maple Leafs.
When asked about it after the 7-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, Marner was visibly more upset than after a typical loss, according to Sportsnet’s Luke Fox.
Marner has mentioned a few times that negotiations are likely going to take place in the summer, before July 1. He was also asked about his contract in that scrum, but declined to give any information on that.
Related: Auston Matthews’ Happy With Maple Leafs’ Deadline Moves
Marner has been the best player on the Maple Leafs this season. To ask him to waive his no-move clause in a swap for Rantanen may indicate that they don’t feel confident they will be able to sign him in the offseason. Only time will tell what happens between the Maple Leafs and Marner when it comes to a potential extension.
Lamoriello Says Change Is Coming in Offseason
During the post-deadline media availability, Lamoriello was firm about one thing – the New York Islanders will not be heading into a full-on rebuild. He emphasized that a decade-long teardown and rebuild isn’t what he has in mind, but change will certainly be coming in the offseason.
He wants to see the Islanders get younger and better, rather than just receive draft picks. He spoke about Calum Ritchie, and was very excited about that acquisition, and wants to bring in more players like that. He mentioned that the plan was always to extend Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri, but after hitting a stalemate and seeing the offers on Nelson, it made the most sense to trade him.
Veteran players, including Palmieri, J-G Pageau, and Anders Lee, could be part of the plan to make the team younger. With some high-end players like Mat Barzal and Noah Dobson, there is a good start to having a younger core, but moving some of those veterans may be the game plan.
Cozens Makes Great Impression with Senators
The Senators acquired Cozens in a swap for Josh Norris, and Senators captain Brady Tkachuk, who was very emotional about seeing his long-time friend traded away, admitted that it isn’t fair to Cozens to be upset about the cost to acquire him. After all, the NHL is a business.
On the flip side, while he was still upset to see Norris shipped away, Drake Batherson has a pre-existing relationship with Cozens, and there was a lot of excitement to see him come.
Batherson and Cozens played together at the 2022 IIHF World Championship and Batherson said “I clicked with him pretty much the first night I met him, and he said to me, I think if we play on the same team, we’d be best friends.”.
Cozens texted Batherson right after the trade was announced saying “Lets go”. It is clear that he was excited to join the Senators and make an impact, and he did just that in his debut.
In his first game with the Senators, a 4-3 overtime win against the New York Rangers, Cozens recorded a career-best of nine hits, and added an assist on the Senators’ second goal. He was great in his debut, and will look to get back to the type of play he had in 2022-23 where he finished with 68 points on the season.
