The Toronto Maple Leafs were one of the four teams Mikko Rantanen was willing to sign with this season. In a report surfacing on Fourth Period, renowned insider David Pagnotta confirmed rumours regarding the potential trade destinations Mikko Rantanen was willing to go to this past trade deadline.
If rumours are to be believed, and Pagnotta is pretty solid, Rantanen had narrowed his list down to four teams he would approve a deal while in Carolina: The Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Edmonton Oilers, and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Since the trade, Nick Kypreos stated that the Hurricanes didn’t want to trade Rantanen to the Leafs as Toronto was a team Carolina could meet in the playoffs. So, we could make the same assumption about Florida.
That leaves Edmonton. It’s not really clear why Edmonton didn’t win. Perhaps they didn’t have as good a player a Logan Stakoven. Perhaps the Hurricanes just weren’t as impressed with Edmonton’s draft picks. Honestly, there’s no telling the precise reason why Carolina didn’t pick the Oilers in the end.
At the end of the day, it seems the Leafs were in the running for Rantanen all the way down to the wire. It’s fun to speculate what would have happened if the Leafs had traded, say, Mitch Marner for Mikko Rantanen. In the meantime, it’s good to know more about the process behind closed doors.
The Toronto Maple Leafs were on Mikko Rantanen 4 team wish list
A Maner-for-Rantanen swap could have solved a major issue for the Toronto Maple Leafs moving forward. Specifically, the Leafs would have gotten rid of the uncertainty surrounding Marner’s contract status.
So far, it’s reassuring to hear that Marner said no-go to Carolina because he wanted to stay in Toronto. At least, that’s the narrative we’re being told. As far as that actually being the case, it remains to be seen. Nevertheless, Marner sent the right message to Leafs Nation.
Still, I can’t help but wonder that trading Marner and signing Rantanen immediately would have provided the Leafs with more certainty. Personally, moving Marner for Rantanen isn’t something I would have done. But it would have put that cloud hanging over the organization’s head to rest once and for all.
I know, there’s always controversy in Leafs land. But at least the Leafs would have had the certainty of knowing Rantanen was in the fold for the next eight years. Of course, that’s something that happened in an alternate universe. We’ll never know how such a trade would have worked out for both sides.
With some cap money finally being free this summer, the Leafs could make a run at a significant free agent. Another solid centre wouldn’t hurt as the Leafs will need at least a reliable 2C or perhaps two bottom-six centres to round out the roster.