Mitch Marner to Vegas, Mikko Rantanen to Toronto: an aborted deal that would have changed everything

The Carolina Hurricanes spent last summer at the heart of the Martin Necas rumour mill. And why? Because the guy clearly didn’t want to stay in town long-term.

And finally, without much fanfare, he left for Colorado during the season.

The reason it didn’t cause much of a stir, for a guy of his calibre, was that Mikko Rantanen, at the end of his contract and with no extension in place, came to town in return.

Rantanen never wanted to stay, and left at the deadline for Dallas… with a big contract waiting for him in Texas.

Since then, it’s easy to see why the Carolina club is looking for a top-notch star. Because even if Logan Stankoven went the other way, he’s not a big name.

Mitch Marner, though struggling in the playoffs, is a big name. And we know that Carolina tried to pick him up in recent months, but it didn’t work out.

In fact, at the deadline, a Mikko Rantanen for Mitch Marner trade was discussed. But the Torontonian didn’t want to lift his no-movement clause to go to Carolina… who will no doubt try to lure him back this summer.