As has been extensively covered here and by several NHL insiders, the Toronto Maple Leafs made a serious push to acquire Mikko Rantanen before the NHL trade deadline. In fact, the Leafs engaged in multiple trade discussions with the Carolina Hurricanes,

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman first reported that the Leafs informed Marner of the offer, but that he ultimately rejected the move, blocking any trade. "As is his right, Marner declined to move, re-iterating his desire to stay," Friedman wrote.

In our NHL Trade Talk weekend rumors report, the Toronto Maple Leafs offered two different returns for Mikko Rantanen, but one option declined to work with the Leafs to make it happen, and the other wasn’t what Carolina wanted.

According to Colaiacovo, the Leafs never pursued trading Marner until Carolina’s inquiry, at which point they informed him about the trade talks—leading to reports that Marner was asked to waive his no-move clause.

Following the team’s first game after the deadline, a 7-4 defeat at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche, Marner was asked directly about being a Maple Leafs player next season.

Post-deadline, there are always stories seeping out … some things that don’t happen, some that did. One that continues to evolve is what happened before Mikko Rantanen was traded from Carolina to Dallas.