One of the biggest trades that was made on deadline day involved star winger Mikko Rantanen, who was dealt to the Dallas Stars from the Carolina Hurricanes in a massive move.

The move ended a long standoff between Rantanen and the Hurricanes that had been taking place ever since they acquired him from the Colorado Avalanche in late January. After failing to come to terms with the Avs on a new deal, the pending free agent also opted not to re-up with Carolina, leading to the trade.

The Hurricanes shopped Rantanen extensively and many teams were involved in the top finisher's sweepstakes. The Toronto Maple Leafs were one of the teams that made a very intriguing offer to Carolina, according to Nick Kypreos on. Sportsnet 590 The Fan.

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“[The Maple Leafs] were right in it until the point where everybody thought he was gonna be a Toronto Maple Leaf,” Kypreos said.  “The Leafs had [Fraser] Minten, [Easton] Cowan and two firsts on the table for Rantanen. … Carolina said no on the thought that they could meet the Leafs and Rantanen in the playoffs.”

Minten and Cowan are both top prospects, so it would have been a move toward the future for the Hurricanes to make. On paper, that is a very competitive offer with the return that Carolina accepted from the Stars — Logan Stankoven, two first-round picks and two third-round picks — but Stankoven is a piece that can help the Hurricanes right now.

Additionally, the Hurricanes wanted to send the Finnish star back to the Western Conference. As it stands, Carolina wouldn't play against the Maple Leafs until the Eastern Conference Finals as both sit in second place in their respective divisions, but that can all change quickly. The concern of keeping such an elite finisher in the East is certainly a reasonable concern to have.

The Avalanche can't be happy about this deal, which sends Rantanen back to the Western Conference just weeks after Colorado sent him out East. Now, it's a real possibility that the Avs will play against their former All-Star in the Western Conference playoffs.