The biggest stunner of the NHL trade deadline was the Carolina Hurricanes trading Mikko Rantanen. Just weeks after picking him up from the Colorado Avalanche, they flipped him to the Dallas Stars after failed contract negotiations. The Toronto Maple Leafs called the Hurricanes about him but they wanted pending free agent forward Mitch Marner. Per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, he used his no-move clause to deny the deal. TSN's Mark Masters spoke with Marner about the request on Saturday.

“I wasn’t focused on it. You know, I’m sure that I had a feeling that maybe something might happen but I’m here to play hockey with this team, like I said, [and] I’m focused with this team [and] that’s what I can tell you.”

Marner's two goals made the Maple Leafs feel better about the failed deal in Saturday's loss to the Colorado Avalanche. After Rantanen failed to reach an extension with Colorado and Carolina, no one was going to trade for him without a deal. So the trade would have solved Toronto's biggest offseason question.

John Tavares and Marner are both free agents after this season. General manager Brad Trevliving just dealt two first-rounders and a top prospect for Scott Laughton and Brandon Carlo. If the Maple Leafs don't succeed in the playoffs this year, it could be the end of an era.

The Maple Leafs must win in the playoffs after the NHL trade deadline

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Ever since the Maple Leafs signed Tavares in July 2018, the pressure has been on. The Stanley Cup has not lived in hockey's biggest market since 1967 and this young core looked like they were ready to win. But they have one won playoff series in that run and now, Marner and Tavares have expiring contracts.

The Maple Leafs should be trying to bring Marner back. As a homegrown player, he has blossomed into one of the best regular-season players in the league. But his playoff issues are well-documented and could scare them away from what will be a monstrous contract.

The NHL salary cap is making its biggest jump since before the pandemic which should help teams manage this offseason. But the Maple Leafs have already spent most of the planned $7.5 million increase. Jake McCabe is getting a $2.5 million raise and Joseph Woll has signed a deal with $3 million more than his current one. With Matthew Knies also needing a new deal, the Maple Leafs are quickly running out of money.