Report: Leafs discussed three-team deal involving Marner to Vegas at deadline
Published
As the Mitch Marner free-agent sweepstakes get set to heat up later this month, James Mirtle of The Athletic reports the Vegas Golden Knights were involved in talks to acquire the winger at the trade deadline.
Citing league sources, Mirtle writes that the Maple Leafs discussed a three-team deal that would have sent Marner to the Golden Knights and moved Mikko Rantanen to Toronto from the Carolina Hurricanes. He reports it's unclear how far the talks went and whether Marner was asked to waive his no-move clause during the process, but that deal is believed to have fell through as the Hurricanes failed to reach terms on compensation from Vegas.
TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston reported after the trade deadline passed that Marner declined to waive his no-move clause for a trade to Carolina in what would have been a swap of pending unrestricted free agents for Rantanen.
The Dallas Stars eventually acquired Rantanen in exchange for forward Logan Stankoven, 2026 first- and third-round picks, a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 first-round selection. As part of the trade to Dallas, Rantanen, who had informed the Hurricanes he would not be signing an extension with the team, signed an eight-year, $96 million deal carrying a cap hit of $12 million with a full no-move clause through the 2032-33 season.
Mirtle writes that the Golden Knights will have to clear cap space if the team intends to make a run at Marner on July 1, but moving a player such as William Karlsson could free up the space to do so.
Marner, 28, recorded 27 goals and 102 points in 81 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season. He added two goals and 13 points in 13 playoff games before his team was eliminated by the Florida Panthers in the second round.
The 6-foot winger is coming off of a six-year, $65.41 million contract that carried an annual cap hit of $10.9 million.