Mitch Marner Reportedly Refused to Waive No-Trade Clause for Blockbuster Deadline Deal
The Carolina Hurricanes reportedly had their sights trained on acquiring Mitch Marner from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Mikko Rantanen.
Mikko Rantanen is now a member of the Dallas Stars and will be there long-term, agreeing to sign an 8-year extension.
After weeks of uncertainty, the Hurricanes ultimately unloaded Rantanen to the Stars.
In return, Dallas sent Logan Stankoven, a conditional 1st round pick in the 2026 NHL Engry Draft, a conditional first round pick in the 2028 NHL Entry Draft, a third round pick in the 2026 draft and a third round pick in the 2027 NHL Entry Draft to Carolina.
But just how close were the Hurricanes to acquiring a far bigger name in return for Rantanen?
Carolina Nearly Traded Mikko Rantanen For Mitch Marner
Per a newly released report, the Hurricanes had their eyes on Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner.
Top NHL analyst Elliotte Friedman indicated that the Marner refused to waive his no-trade clause to facilitate a trade from the Maple Leafs to the Hurricanes:
Neither the Maple Leafs, the Hurricanes, nor Marner's agent, Darren Ferris, would comment. But that could have been the biggest blockbuster of the week.
Additionally, Friedman included that the Leafs were willing to offer top prospect Easton Cowan along with Fraser Minten and a pair of 1st round picks before the Hurricanes decided to pivot and accept the offer from Dallas:
Marner is a pending unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, and it remains to be seen whether he'll be able to work out a long term extension to continue his career with the Maple Leafs.
Additionally, per analyst Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN, Toronto management told Marner that their preference is to re-sign him - but that the Hurricanes were an option for him to consider:
However, Marner's no-movement clause gave him full control, making it a non-starter. Before the deadline, the Leafs told Marner their priority was signing him to an extension but noted that a trade to Carolina was an option if he wasn't on board.
Marner made it clear he wanted to stay. Talks then shifted to a package involving Matthew Knies and significant future assets, but the Leafs ultimately felt they couldn't match Carolina's return from Dallas-two first-round picks, two third-rounders, and 22-year-old center Logan Stankoven.
But for now, Marner was unwilling to leave and become part of what would have been an even bigger blockbuster deal in exchange for Rantanen.
