NHL Rumors: The Toronto Maple Leafs May Have Been Close To Landing Mikko Rantanen

Luke Fox of Sportsnet: Nick Kypreos said that the Toronto Maple Leafs made a big offer to the Carolina Hurricanes for Mikko Rantanen, then pivoted to Scott Laughton and Brandon Carlo when the Hurricanes rejected.

** NHLRumors.com transcription

Kypreos: “I wrote an article for the Toronto Star a week ago linking Toronto Maple Leafs to Rantanen, and it, it played out the way I thought it would play out.

They were right in it to the point where everybody thought he was going to be a Toronto Maple Leaf.”

Justin Bourne: “No kidding, and they must have had some sort of noon deadline. That’s when things started to move on Laughton and whatever.”

Kypreos: “So, you know, we know what the Toronto Maple Leafs did. They went and got, got Laughton and they went and got Carlo.”

Bourne: “Very comparable.”

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Kypreos: “No, but what is, what basically it is, is when, once that door shut, then they to their credit, they had, they had some backup here.

So essentially, it’s Stankoven, and two firsts.”

Bourne: “And two thirds.”

Kypreos: “The Leafs had (Fraser) Minten, (Easton) Cowan as I understand it, and two firsts on the tablefor Rantanen.”

Bourne: “Two top prospects and two firsts.”

Kypreos: “Yep.”

Bourne: “God, they wouldn’t have been able to get a D. That’s their whole asset pool.”

Kypreos: “No, basically, it was like, that’s their big move.”

Bourne: “Yeah.”

Kypreos: “They could have found different ways to probably shore up a lot of things, but that was the big move.

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Carolina said no on the thought that they could meet the Leafs and Rantanen and down the road in the playoffs. They went out West.”

Bourne: “Really? Didn’t want to run into Rantanen.”

Kypreos: “They did not want to run into Rantanen, and they did not want to run into the Toronto Maple Leafs in a, in the playoffs. And they’re, they’re pushing them out west.”

Bourne: “Really?”

Sam McKee: “Okay, so he was willing to sign here?”

Kypreos: “Okay, you want another one?”

McKee: “Yeah I want it all baby.”

Kypreos: “I believe that the Leafs were willing to spend anywhere between $105 and $110 million on an eight-year deal for Rantanen.”

Bourne: “Doing the math on that, that’s we’re talking 13 and a half.”

McKee: “Wow.”

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Kypreos: “We’re in the ballpark of 13.”

Bourne: “Yeah.”

Kypreos: “13, 13-plus.  They were all in on getting this guy until Carolina said, ‘No, we’re going to Dallas.’”