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Mikko Rantanen, Dallas Stars (Photo by Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images)

Almost a Maple Leaf: How Would Rantanen Have Fit This Postseason?

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Jesse Courville-Lynch | Last updated May 10, 2025 10:00 AM ET

When the Colorado Avalanche traded Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes earlier this season, the league was shaken to its core, as a superstar who has arguably been one of the best players in the league for the past several seasons was switching teams. With the Hurricanes, Rantanen didn’t fit too well, and speculation began closer to the 2025 Trade Deadline that he could get moved again, which would’ve shaken the league even more.

The Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, and Dallas Stars were connected to Rantanen in the days leading up to the deadline, and while there was no guarantee he’d get moved, teams continued to check in. All of a sudden, the Toronto Maple Leafs emerged as potential suitors.

While he ended up being traded to the Stars for a massive trade package that included Logan Stankoven and several draft picks, the Maple Leafs considered everything when it came to bringing in another star, including moving on from Mitchell Marner who was asked to consider waiving his trade protection to go to the Hurricanes, which he declined. The Oilers reportedly came close to acquring him as well, but thinking about what could have been, where would Rantanen have fit with the Maple Leafs in the playoffs this season?

Rantanen’s Potential Fit With the Maple Leafs

Bringing in a player of Rantanen’s caliber would have increased the Maple Leafs’ odds to win a Stanley Cup, even if they ended up parting with Marner. He has been incredible since the playoffs got underway, showcasing himself as one of the league’s best players and helping the Stars get past his former team, the Avalanche, in the first round. Assuming that the Hurricanes wouldn’t have accepted any offer from the Maple Leafs unless Marner was included, Rantanen would have been on their first line heading into the postseason.

Rantanen would have directly replaced Marner on the first line alongside Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies, and with the way he’s been playing with the Stars, who knows what could have happened with the Maple Leafs. Two of the NHL’s most elite offensive producers on one team pushing for a Stanley Cup, they wouldn’t have been stopped. At the time of this article, Rantanen has emerged as the MVP of the postseason, scoring eight goals and adding seven assists for 15 points through nine games.

Something that has been even more impressive is how offensive Rantanen has been. In the seventh game of the first round against the Avalanche, he had a third period hat trick that helped the Stars come back and win in regulation. In their first game against the Winnipeg Jets in the first round, he had another hat trick and helped them take a 1-0 series lead. They lost the second game 4-0 and the series has been tied 1-1, but that doesn’t take away from how dominant he’s been playing.

His incredible play in the playoffs would’ve been exactly what the Maple Leafs need. They’re currently up 2-1 in their second-round series against the Florida Panthers, but, bringing in a player who has 116 points through 90 career playoff games would have scared fans into thinking they may have been able to take out the defending champions in four straight games.

Let’s be honest, the fit may have been weird, but Rantanen and Matthews may have become the best dynamic duo in the NHL. Unfortunately, we will never know what that could have looked like.

At the end of the day, Rantanen is a Dallas Star, and the Maple Leafs continue to push toward their first Stanley Cup since 1967 without him. They should feel confident in their ability to win the series considering how strong they’ve looked so far, but it’s fun to consider how different things could have been if he was on a different team.

As the 2024-25 postseason moves along, be sure to continue following The Hockey Writers as your source for news from around the NHL and the hockey world.