OverDrive - Johnston on the Maple Leafs' adds at the deadline, Toronto's interest in Rantanen and the Hurricanes' departure in the deal

Episode Date: March 7, 2025

TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the league, the Maple Leafs' trade deadline moves, the team's interest in Mikko Rantanen, the Hurricanes' approach around the deal and more.

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Made in Canada, played in Canada. On the free iHeartRadio app and at iHeartRadio.ca. It's gonna get loud. Chris Johnson, our TSN Hockey Insider, joining us here in studio. So we've been talking about how Marner is possibly gonna respond to Miko Rantinen and Rantinen deciding to sign for eight years at 12 million dollars. Now that means Mitch is, if he goes to free

agency he's the only guy that's at that level. I mean Sam Bennett could get there, there's other players, but do you see a link at all Marner, Rantinen, the fact that Rantinen is making 12 in the future, should that have any bearing on the evaluation of how Marner thinks this will play out or how the Leafs believe it should play out? It really depends if that conversation is happening on June 1st when it's just Toronto that can deal with them or it's happening on July 1st when you've got the entire market. And you know my impression right now is that Mitch Marner is more than willing to go to market. And if he gets to the true open market, I mean, think of our sport.

Does not happen too often, right? A guy in his prime, it looks like he's going to have a hundred plus point season. We'll see what's to come. Maybe he's coming off a great playoff soon. There's lots of outcomes here. Just had a great four Nations tournament with Canada. I think the Rantinen number is less relevant if it's truly the whole field. Now if you're the Toronto Maple Leafs and you're having that conversation, of course. Mikko Rantinen's got better career numbers than Mitch Marner.

He's a more accomplished player just by the pure numbers. So that would be a fair comparable to bring up. But if Mitch is willing to use his leverage, which all... He's allowed to if he wants to. Sure. I'm not saying any of this is negative. I just think it's a fact of where Mitch is at in his career that he's able to do that. I think that he can certainly surpass that. Depends where he signs too, right? Because there's a Dallas tax down on that amount. I mean, we know that

Carolina offered Ratanin over a hundred million, so that's over twelve and a half times eight. He took less money than he turned down in Carolina, but it's a different sort of calculation because of the taxes and everything. So it's a long way to say this. In a perfect world, Mitch Marner probably earns a little less than Ratanin, but it's not perfect. And this this is a supply and demand business and right now Mitch is in a tremendous, he was already in a great spot, but he's even in a better spot now because there is only one Mitch Marner out there. I think if it was both Ratnan and Marner hitting the market, you know some of the teams would be

bidding on the same guys. Mitch is right now 100% the top free agent in the entire NHL, even if it doesn't go well in the next few weeks or month month or two here i think he's in a huge position to swing big in terms of randinand when he was still a carolina hurricane we have any clarity on the leaves and how much they were actually showing interest in him a lot you know i think they were showing a lot of interest in him and ran in in

mico randinand yet with the presumption they try to sign a long-term well i think that they wanted to see what what could happen you know uh... even this whole dallas and like the reason why today was so confusing from late last night till this morning to when they finally the deal done is because the stars were sure they could sign a minor until whenever you know the early afternoon today teams like the leaves didn't know you know what Miko Ranen wants for sure.

I think that there's been some general indication in the industry that Ranen likes the idea of playing in cities, you know, that the Leafs could satisfy some of his criteria, obviously a competitive team, great market. So the Leafs were 100% over many days in conversations, on again, off again, I believe with the Hurricanes, to see if they could do something on Ranen.

I think there was different permutations of what that might look like and you know when it got down to today it sounded like carolina wanted nays they wanted at least the first they wanted a prospect like it was going to be a big package and if you're the least in that you look at it you go case we lose nays in the deal i think everyone would say that's probably fair.

Rantanen's an upgrade. That's Logan Stankovic equivalent. And let's say you sign Rantanen. We're game-theoring this out, but this is what the Leafs front office had to do. So then you've got your Rantanen, but Marner probably leaves then as a free agent, like 100%. Right. So you've lost Nye's, you've lost Marner to get Rantanen.

Now maybe you're ahead then. That's what probably we got to debate in the bars and the coffee shops now. But that was the decision the Leafs faced and they just weren't interested in going there when push came to show up today. And this has been a fascinating, let's hope this is the beginning of a new era in the NHL. We got the cap going up, we got teams doing things we've never done before. You know, the Leafs have had to think about a life without Mitch Marner now because he's got a no move clause and as I mentioned, he's perfectly poised right now to

to walk away from the team not because he doesn't like it here and there's nothing, there's no drama, this could just be about dollars and cents for Mitch when push comes to shove. If you're Eric Tulski, the GM in Carolina, how do you justify what you just went through? Well I think his owner is very involved with what he does. So you know, Dave, the way I look at that is you're always managing up in business. I mean he's probably had to manage a lot of emotional moments behind the scenes there, but you know I think that these decisions were made in lockstep so I don't think he has to justify it internally. Now externally the way you justify it is we want to be an organization that's going to take

risks, that's going to 100% pursue winning at all costs and you know Julian Briesbough kind of had a point like this when he gave up the two first and made the trade he made the other day is you know Carolina wants to be a team that's taking big swings and and the the deal they made for Ratanen on January 24th was a huge risk and obviously to some degree like I think they've mitigated it with the return they get here but it's hard to sit here and argue they have a better chance to win the cup this season. Now longer term maybe this worked out well keep in mind Martin Aches was only signed next year. They already had a tough contract negotiation with him.

He was the real jewel they gave up in the original trade. So he wasn't a long-term hurricane necessarily either. And so what they've done, you've got Stan Kovan, five years of team control after this, good young player, two more firsts, two thirds. I mean, let's see how this this banks out. The industry, you're right though, Dave, is there's people laughing at them, scoffing at the set of decisions, but I think

There's a world you can justify it But it's the harder thing right now if you're selling hockey in Raleigh This team has been in the playoffs and won a series each of the last six years It's hard to sit here and say they're gonna win a Stanley Cup in year seven of that Like it might be a small step back to go ahead There are worse team today than there were yesterday. Right. On paper. Yeah. That's really what it is. Now you're right. But would it have been better, and I'm sorry to interrupt, but Ratnan was not performing there. He was not

comfortable there. I understand, but I always find it's tough. Like this is a guy who was shocked with a trade. It's a new environment. It's rare that a guy hits the ground running. Really? Definitely in Dallas? Like is Dallas taking a gamble at all? Like whatever shows up and doesn't fit. I mean that's the agency I guess.

Not everything. Well he's used to it now. I guess now the second time. These trades are old hat for me. Yeah, but it is. He's a veteran now. It just, I thinkolina you you're right with time this this trade for them

and they've got cap space to spend in all of that they could come out on top but right now where we're talking about eastern arms race there are not sure what what now because of the moves that they made that's the way i look at it because randinan could have turned it on you know at some point into the playoffs. He knows, we know what he does. We don't know Stan Kovan and we don't, you know, to me on paper they're a worse team and they've taken a notch

down to the point where I think somebody might catch them. Well that's the thing, man. You know what's weird when you look at it too and like sometimes the teams that win the trade deadline don't win anything that really matters in the next fact you know two months but the metropolitan division is kind of a mess like new jersey obviously dealing with the huge injury you know the rangers have been buying and selling all year me columbus great story but i don't think it seems a cup contender even washington like modest you get empty but billy today was played on sixteen that they can last three

years like right that the arms race is really only happening in the leaf side of the bracket at least in the east and that's been the case for quite some time with these florida teams in particular cj great stuff man good seeing you women run the charts lead the conversation and make history this international women's day i heart radio celebrates them all Women's Day. Okay ladies. iHeartRadio celebrates them all. Let's go! Turn up the Women of the North playlist for iconic Canadian artists.

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