Mikko Rantanen : the Hurricanes wanted Mitch Marner in return

Today, Mikko Rantanen is a member of the Stars. The Hurricanes went after him (possibly due to a misunderstanding) with the goal of signing him long-term in January, but a few weeks later, he’s in Dallas.

The value is good for the Hurricanes… but I still see them as losers in all this. The club has regressed in the short term while trying to win the Stanley Cup.

Logan Stankoven and draft picks, that’s fine… but it doesn’t make you better today.

However, it seems that in return for Rantanen, the Hurricanes initially had a target that would have actually helped the club in the short term… and would have sent Rantanen to Toronto.

The target in question, according to Elliotte Friedman, was none other than Mitch Marner.

https://t.co/7uOMzGxAx4

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 8, 2025

Of course, all of this would have been a monster trade. We know that the Maple Leafs had interest in Rantanen (they tried to get him without giving up Marner, but the Hurricanes preferred the Stars’ package), and with Marner, the Hurricanes would have gotten a player who would have helped the club now.

However, Marner has a no-movement clause, so the Maple Leafs had to talk to him before proceeding with negotiations. And Marner refused to be included in that trade.

What’s important to know, though, is that even if the Leafs discussed all this with Marner, the club’s priority is to sign the forward long-term. And according to Friedman, Marner refused because he wants to stay in Toronto long-term.

Let’s recall that Marner will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the current season. The Leafs will therefore have to pay him to keep him long-term.

So, we almost had a huge trade between the Hurricanes and the Maple Leafs. We don’t know if other pieces would have been involved, but if Marner and Rantanen had been part of a trade, it would have made headlines regardless of the overall picture.

Extension

Note that according to Chris Johnston (The Athletic), the Hurricanes also discussed with the Leafs a package that would have included Matthew Knies and other future assets in a trade for Rantanen.

But that clearly didn’t interest the Leafs. And today, Rantanen is in Dallas rather than Toronto.

New, for @TheAthletic: Mitch Marner’s future takes center stage in NHL after ground-shaking trade deadline that saw his name raised in trade talks https://t.co/3aLRFtA4TT https://t.co/3aLRFtA4TT

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) March 8, 2025