Maple Leafs Offers to Mikko Rantanen Revealed After Busy Trade Deadline

With the Toronto Maple Leafs making out pretty well at the trade deadline all things considered, acquiring Scott Laughton and Brandon Carlo, the team almost made a big splash and brought aboard Mikko Rantanen in what may have been one of the biggest trades Toronto has made in years.

However, it fell through given that there were too many pieces that Carolina wanted and/or Toronto was willing to part with. Well, we have an idea of what those trades were (at least the majority framework) but should Toronto have gone through with any of them?

First things first, the Carolina Hurricanes were not going to take anything less than stellar for a package including Rantanen. They started things off by wanting to do a swap for Marner; a move that was initially thrown around a few months ago from NHL Analyst Anson Carter.

But Toronto losing out on their top player this season and a core part of their locker room and team identity would have been a tough pill to swallow for the Maple Leafs, not to mention the fan reaction.

Toronto is wanting to keep Marner regardless of how frustrating the negotiations have been, and with Marner wanting to stay too; they would rather work on a compromise than give up altogether.

Trade #2 involved a more intriguing option as Carolina was looking to see if Matthew Knies would be available in a package, and while he hasn't necessarily reached the superstar status of Rantanen yet, he's close and there's no way Toronto should give up on a 22-year old future star.

He's still got lots of room to grow, already hit 20 goals, and is a restricted free agent at the end of the year, so Toronto has some leverage/flexibility when it comes to re-signing him.

Clearly we know how could he can be, and next season with a potentially more prominent role; could be his true breakout into superstardom.

Trade #3 was more of a Hail Mary pass than anything else, but it showed that Toronto was willing to mortgage their future for a chance to win. The trade involved Easton Cowan, Fraser Minten, and their two first round picks in 2026 and 2027.

It would have seen Toronto give up whatever potential they have for their next stars and bet it all on #96. Carolina was hesitant to give up Rantanen to a contender in the Eastern Conference and wanted an immediate impact player which they got in Logan Stankoven.

Minten was sent to Boston for Brandon Carlo, and Cowan stayed put in the system and looks poised to be Toronto's next breakout star, and may very well fight for a spot come training camp this summer.

It's hard to say if Toronto would be better or worse if they made these deals, but if they end up with another quick exit; maybe we'll look back and wish Brad Treliving pulled the trigger.