It鈥檚 amazing how one big trade can change the dynamics of an NHL season.
In an era where聽in-season, non-deadline deals have become almost obsolete, we have to give credit to the Colorado Avalanche for the bold decision to trade superstar winger Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes before his expiring contract left them with nothing.
The聽ripple effect of that trade now comes in the聽self-reflection of teams in similar situations, like the Maple Leafs (Mitch Marner), Florida Panthers (Sam Bennett), Boston Bruins (Brad Marchand), Winnipeg Jets (Nikolaj Ehlers) and Vancouver Canucks (Brock Boeser). Each of these teams has top-tier players in similar contractual circumstances.
All of a sudden the idea of 鈥渞enting your own player鈥 doesn鈥檛 appear as kosher as it was a week ago.
Alex Pietrangelo聽withdrew because of injury and the short list to replace him includes Tanev, Drew Doughty, MacKenzie Weegar and Brandon Montour.
Alex Pietrangelo聽withdrew because of injury and the short list to replace him includes Tanev, Drew Doughty, MacKenzie Weegar and Brandon Montour.
It鈥檚 been well documented that Marner, who is set to be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, has held the hammer over the Leafs聽with a no-movement clause. It鈥檚 the main reason the public noise about trading Marner has been minimal.
Then the Rantanen trade happened and聽the Leafs’ decision to continually bet on their Core Four is being revisited.
Why did Colorado push so hard to trade a proven playoff performer in Rantanen while the Leafs remained loyal to Marner and John Tavares,聽major parts of a core that fails to get it done in the post-season? Does it simply boil down to the full no-movement clauses in their contracts? The answer is no.
If the Leafs really wanted to move away from Marner and Tavares, coming off their disappointing first-round exit last spring, they could have made one or both of them feel as unwelcome as the Avalanche did with Rantanen last week.
There were reports Rantanen was traded because his contract demands were in the range of Leon Draisaitl鈥檚 $14-million (U.S.) annual salary with Edmonton. From what we’ve learned, that couldn鈥檛 be further from the truth.
Rantanen met with management a week before his trade and reiterated his love for Colorado and his flexibility to work something out. He confirmed that聽to reporters聽Monday: “I was willing to take a significant discount from my market value,” .
Rantanen, according to sources, even went so far as to let management know he was willing to work out a number under Nathan MacKinnon鈥檚 $12.6-million average annual value if it was imperative for MacKinnon to remain atop the food chain for the next few years, until the Avalanche have to open the vault for Cale Makar鈥檚 next contract.
That聽should show Colorado fans how badly the 28-year-old wanted to stay.
TORONTO - Anthony Stolarz spent some of his downtime away from the rink.
TORONTO - Anthony Stolarz spent some of his downtime away from the rink.
During their months-long negotiations the Avalanche never really wavered from using David Pastrnak’s $11.25-million AAV as a comparable. That eight-year extension with the Bruins was signed in March 2023,聽when the salary cap was projected to be $83.5 million going forward. The projections of the cap next season could settle just shy of $100 million.
Pastrnak’s salary was never a starting point for Rantanen. So the Avalanche decided to move on. And they could do so because聽Rantanen’s deal included only a modified no-trade list of nine teams.
鈥淚 think a lot of the guys are just shocked,鈥 MacKinnon said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty crazy someone like that getting traded聽鈥 He鈥檚 (been) a big part of our team, our culture.鈥
It鈥檚 a bitter pill to swallow for a guy who left his heart and soul in the Rocky Mountains for 10 seasons, but a harsh reality in the business of professional sports.
It’s clear Avalanche聽president Joe Sakic and GM Chris MacFarland felt that, despite having the talented Rantanen in their lineup, they still weren鈥檛 good enough to win this year. A trade that gives them something in return before retooling in the off-season with more cap flexibility looked like the better path.
Leafs president Brendan Shanahan and GM Brad Treliving聽don’t have the same luxury of buying more time.
Former and current teammates love the fun and shenanigans the future Hall of Famer brings to the locker room. But think twice about retaliation.
Former and current teammates love the fun and shenanigans the future Hall of Famer brings to the locker room. But think twice about retaliation.
The parallels between the value of Rantanen and Marner in the NHL marketplace are noteworthy. They were both top-10 draft picks in 2015 and their production over the last five years is聽similar: Rantanen is fourth in the NHL with 431 points, Marner is sixth with 416.
The only difference, which anti-Marner Leafs fans are quick to point out, is Marner鈥檚 lack of playoff success.
Rantanen鈥檚 playoff production mirrors his regular season. He is fourth in playoff points for the last five years with 62 and has a Stanley Cup ring. Marner is聽41st with 29 points and聽has just one series win.
What many Marner doubters can鈥檛 wrap their heads around is聽he will still land a new contract聽that will place him alongside Rantanen among the聽five highest-paid players in the NHL. And the Leafs are already trying to sign him.
The crazy thing is Rantanen is often regarded as one of the best players in the league yet he was always viewed by the Avalanche as a distant third in the team鈥檚 order of importance behind MacKinnon and Makar. Marner was pegged last summer as the third-most important player for the Leafs behind Auston Matthews and William Nylander.
But Marner, in a contract year, has established himself as the Leafs’ most valuable player this season anyway. He’s on pace for a career-high in points and 海角社区官网led the Atlantic Division entering Wednesday’s games despite missing Matthews for nearly a third of the season because of injury.
Even after last season’s playoff disappointment, the Leafs were never going to take the path of “tough love” with Marner like Colorado did with Rantanen.聽And聽the only thing that could vindicate the Leafs鈥 decision to be patient is if this team, with Marner at the helm, has a deep playoff run in an open Eastern Conference.
If that is the case, a new Leafs offer to Marner of more than $100 million would be 鈥 and should be 鈥 widely embraced. That is, of course, if he chooses to accept it.
Kyper’s Korner
If the Leafs hold any hope in re-signing Marner prior to the start of the playoffs, they鈥檒l need to make an offer close to the $13.25 million that Matthews receives annually聽鈥 The NHL鈥檚 12-year, $5.2-billion broadcasting agreement with Rogers is set to expire after the 2025-26 season and it鈥檚 sounding like the league will be giving rights-holders carte blanche when it comes to player access during the 4 Nations Face-Off as it attempts to聽land聽a new contract that pays it $1 billion per season 鈥 Interesting to hear how many NHL owners are re-examining their team’s value after Tampa Bay鈥檚 Jeffrey Vinik cashed in a portion of his nearly $2-billion evaluation. The Fenway Sports Group in Pittsburgh has joined Buffalo and Dallas ownership groups considering selling pieces of their respective clubs. Some behind the scenes are also questioning Fenway’s commitment to hockey聽鈥斅爐he conglomerate also owns the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club and more 鈥 and feel it could sell the Penguins entirely if the right price is met. Wonder if any of the recent Sidney Crosby trade rumours have anything to do with that.
Changed my mind on 鈥
Honesty being the best policy when it comes to locker-room politics. Vancouver Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford spoke publicly this week about rift having no clear resolution. All it has done is bring more attention to the issue.聽
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