Mitch Marner Accepted a Trade to the Golden Knights Months Ago, But There Was a Catch

This weekend, it was reported by Elliotte Friedman that the Toronto Maple Leafs and Las Vegas Golden Knights were trying to get a Mitch Marner sign-and-trade done.

It would be beneficial for both sides as the Leafs would get a roster player in return for a superstar winger, while the Golden Knights would avoid an alleged tampering charge.

However, new information is coming out about how Marner could have been a member of the Golden Knights months ago.

When this report initially came out, it stated that Marner refused to waive his no-trade clause. However, Chris Johnston is now saying that Marner did allow the Leafs to move him.

The Leafs, Golden Knights, and Carolina Hurricanes were working on a three-team deal. The Knights would get Marner, and the Leafs would get Mikko Rantanen. Unfortunately, the Leafs and the Knights could not come up with a satisfactory package to send back to Carolina. As a result, the deal fell apart.

Acquiring Mikko Rantanen at the trade deadline would have been season-changing for the Maple Leafs, who were hoping for some good news.

Rantanen was a beast in the playoffs for the Dallas Stars, and the Maple Leafs would have been well served by a guy like that.

However, there is no point in dwelling on the past. Instead, the Leafs should probably just move on and look towards getting their current deal done with the Golden Knights.

This would be a blockbuster trade, and the entire NHL world is waiting with bated breath to see if it ends up happening.