The Toronto Maple Leafs will have an intriguing decision to make this offseason with the future of Mitch Marner.
Marner will be the top free agent come July 1 along with Mikko Rantanen who was recently traded from the Colorado Avalanche to the Carolina Hurricanes. If Rantanen hits the open market, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman says the Maple Leafs would do a lot to try and get Rantanen on their team.
“Teams will make room for this guy,” Friedman said on NHL Network Radio on Sirius XM on February 11. “If they have a feeling that he’s going to come to them, the New York Rangers, Toronto, it won’t just be the teams with a lot of cap room. It’ll be teams (saying), like, ‘Okay, if I have to move a mountain to get Mikko Rantanen, we’re going to try to do it.’”
As Friedman says, if Rantanen hits free agency, he expects the Maple Leafs to show interest in the star forward. If Toronto is going to sign Rantanen, it would mean that the team likely moved on from Marner.
Rantanen is in the final year of his six-year $55.5 million deal. The skilled forward has skated in 55 games recording 26 goals and 40 assists for 66 points this season.
Analyst Urges Maple Leafs to Sign Rantanen
Friedman’s report comes after former NHLer and now analyst Paul Bissonnette told the Maple Leafs to sign Rantanen.
Bissonnette would advise the team to let Marner walk and sign Rantanen.
“Let’s say playoffs didn’t go that positive for the Toronto Maple Leafs,” Bissonnette said on Spittin’ Chiclets. “And maybe you get a similar type of performance out of Marner that you saw last year where we can get into the age-old argument, like he wasn’t a liability, per se. But, he definitely wasn’t regular-season Mitch. So if they were to move on from Mitch Marner and not re-sign him, I would definitely go after Rantanen. I would overpay him to do so.”
Bissonnette believes Rantanen fits the Maple Leafs roster better, due to his size. He also believes it would be wise for Toronto to at least explore if it is a possibility.
“You have a big body, like Knies who is going to be a stud player. I’m assuming Tavares is going to come back on a team-friendly deal. So, he’s off the books, he’s a big player,” Bissonnette added. You have Nylander, he’s a big, fast, dynamic player. Matthews is a big, fast, dynamic player. Then, all of a sudden you have Rantanen, which is built like a true playoff team.”
Rantanen helped the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2022.
Carolina Could Trade Rantanen Again
The Hurricanes made a blockbuster deal to acquire Rantanen.
But, with Rantanen set to hit the open market on July 1, NHL insider Frank Seravalli thinks if Carolina could flip Rantanen before the March 7 trade deadline.
“If this gets closer to March 7, and he’s unsigned and they have a feeling he’s not going to sign,” Seravalli said on DailyFaceoff. “I wouldn’t be shocked. They’ve got an owner just crazy enough to turn around and say let’s see what we can get back what we paid, if not more.”
Rantanen has 1 goal and 1 assist in 6 games with the Hurricanes.
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