Maple Leafs and Mitch Marner: getting involved in the Mikko Rantanen file would have been a mistake

In Toronto, teams have a knack for getting into trouble with stars from other teams.
The Blue Jays tried to sign Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto by offering at least $700 million to each guy when they were on the free agent market, but the club can’t put $500 million on the table for Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Result? Vladdy sees it as a slap in the face, he has a good chance of leaving, and his price has gone up, recently… but the Blue Jays don’t have Soto or Ohtani to console themselves.

Surprise: the file is a distraction. https://t.co/aHEjdudR2L
— Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) March 13, 2025

It’s a bit the same thing in the case of the Maple Leafs. The club is trying to keep Mitch Marner long-term, but they tried to trade him to Carolina for Mikko Rantanen.
Marner said no. But in my eyes, the problem isn’t just there. The problem is also that Toronto wanted to offer $13.5 million per year to Rantanen to sign him long-term. Let’s recall that the Maple Leafs were visibly on Rantanen’s list of four teams.

Other than Dallas, Mikko Rantanen was reportedly willing to be traded and sign an extension in Edmonton, Florida or Toronto.
— theScore (@theScore) March 12, 2025

Result? Marner has a basis for comparison. And he undoubtedly wants to feel respected.
No, Marner doesn’t have Rantanen’s success in the playoffs. However, he already has 80 points this season and is on track to have excellent numbers in his last year of contract.
He knows the club is capable of putting its hand in its pocket, and he knows the cap will go up. He can therefore say he knows the Toronto market and that he’s having a better season than Rantanen.
So, right now, he can demand $14 million per year if he wants.

“I think that Marner’s probably looking at 14 sheets now in Toronto”
@BizNasty2point0 on the recent drama surrounding Marner and the Maple Leafs, a potential feeling of disrespect, and what the star winger could command on the open market
— The Sheet with Jeff Marek (@thesheethockey) March 12, 2025

If the Maple Leafs plan to let him go this summer, it doesn’t change anything. But in the (logical) scenario where Toronto wants to bring Marner back long-term with the club… the last few days have hurt.
The Rantanen file may have (unnecessarily) created a bad precedent for the Maple Leafs.
It’s also interesting to note that Auston Matthews earns $13.25 million per year on average. Is he happy to see the club offer $13.5 million to Rantanen? Is he open to seeing Marner earn more than him?
If Matthews “forced” the Maple Leafs to give him the “C” of captain, he may want to be the highest-paid player. Isn’t that right?

– A new start awaits him.
À bientôt mes amis —
— Arash Madani (@ArashMadani) March 13, 2025

– The question arises.
Montréal est-elle ENFIN en train de devenir une destination de choix dans la LNH?
Le nouvel épisode des Compteurs est ici
— commissionathletique (@Commissionathl) March 13, 2025

– It will continue to be talked about.
Quels candidats au poste de centre pour le Canadien ?
— Mathias Brunet (@mathiasbrunet) March 13, 2025