Elliotte Friedman Reveals the Real Reason Why Marner For Rantanen Never Happened
Photo credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
It's well documented that the Toronto Maple Leafs wanted to trade Mitch Marner for Mikko Rantanen, but the Leafs were not able to get it done at the trade deadline.
Mitch Marner was very clearly thinking about leaving the Toronto Maple Leafs in the offseason, and the franchise was well aware of this.
During last year's trade deadline, the team attempted to make a deal involving Marner and then Carolina Hurricanes winger Mikko Rantanen.
However, a trade never materialized, and the Hurricanes sent Rantanen to the Dallas Stars instead. At the time, many blamed Marner for this, claiming that his refusal to waive his no-trade clause was what did the trade in.
As it turns out, it wasn't that simple. While Marner is an easy scapegoat, there were plenty of other factors at play.
The Carolina Hurricanes were scared of the Toronto Maple Leafs
According to Elliotte Friedman, the simple truth is that the Carolina Hurricanes had no interest in trading Rantanen to an Eastern Conference rival.
I think at the end of the day, I don't think the Hurricanes were interested in trading Rantanen to Toronto because they were worried about seeing him in the playoffs.
This makes a lot of sense, especially when you consider how the Leafs were a game away from playing the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Had Rantanen been playing for the Leafs in that scenario, it could have been a nightmare. In the end, the Hurricanes didn't have to worry about that.
The Hurricanes are off to a hot start this season, while the Maple Leafs very much are not, as a third-straight loss is on the horizon.
At this point, we're sure the Leafs would love to have Rantanen on their team.
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