How’s Dallas Stars’ Mikko Rantanen making headlines when it’s the Maple Leafs who just got booted? Yeah, it’s wild out here. So, Brad Marchand and Eetu Luostarinen straight up cooked Toronto in Game 7, each dropping a goal and two sweet assists in a 6-1 beatdown that sent the Leafs packing, again. Florida’s moving on to face the Hurricanes (yup, the same squad that nearly snagged Marner), while Toronto’s out here adding another “L” to their Game 7 graveyard. That’s 0-7 in their last seven Game 7s. Woof.

And here’s where the hockey soap opera gets juicy. Rumor had it, the Leafs were this close to pulling off a spicy blockbuster: sending Mitch Marner to Carolina for none other than Mikko Rantanen. Word on the ice? Carolina wanted it bad. But Marner clutched his no-movement clause like it was Game 7 overtime and nixed the whole deal. So Toronto pivoted and added Scott Laughton and Brandon Carlo instead. Meanwhile, Rantanen skated off to Dallas, and now they’re vibin’ in the conference semis. So, now the question arises: would Mikko Rantanen have saved the Leafs’ season?

So here’s the tea straight from X—NHL Watcher stirred the pot saying, “Imagine Marner okayed that deal to Carolina that would have sent Rantanen to Toronto? Where the Leafs and their fans would be right now lol.” And just to add more spice, Thechek182 chimed in with that heartbreak anthem: “I’ve learned that no matter how bad the rest of the team is, it’s my fault.” Honestly? That kind of sums up Marner’s whole Leafs era in one tweet.

Now the NHL fandom, especially over on Reddit, has been buzzing louder than a Game 7 OT goal horn. On r/hockey, u/honestnbafan dropped a hot stats-laced comparison between Mitch Marner and Mikko Rantanen, and let’s just say… things got real. Regular season? These two are neck-and-neck. Marner’s been painting the ice with 102 points (27 goals, 75 assists), and Rantanen’s right behind him, lighting the lamp with 32 goals on the way to an 88-point season. The main split? Marner’s your smooth-skating setup guy, while Rantanen’s out here just sniping goals like it’s child’s play.

But the real story’s in the playoffs; cue dramatic music. Marner has a tally of 63 points (13 goals and 50 assists) in 70 playoff games. Not bad at all. But compared to Rantanen’s numbers, they seem, well, average. That’s because the Fin’s got 120 points (43 goals and 77 assists) in just 94 games. And let’s not forget the numbers include a 45-point playoff run during the Avalanche’s Stanley Cup clinching season in 2022. Meanwhile, Marner? He is yet to touch that trophy in almost a decade-long career with the Leafs.

And let’s talk about this year, because Mikko Rantanen is thriving in Dallas. Dude got traded twice this season (Colorado to Carolina to Dallas; yes, he’s been on a journey), and he’s still out here dropping hat tricks like it’s routine. Against his former Avalanche squad? Hat trick in the third period of Game 7. Then came back the next round and kept cooking, torching the Jets in Game 3 with a goal and two sweet helpers.

He’s basically carrying the Stars into deep playoff territory and putting himself in the Conn Smythe conversation. So yeah… while Marner stayed loyal, Rantanen’s out here rewriting playoff scripts like a star with ice in his veins. Dallas? Definitely not mad about how that trade panned out. And well, Florida Panthers had something similar going on!

Not just Mikko Rantanen’s trade, but someone else too!

While Mikko Rantanen’s blockbuster season is straight-up movie material, let’s not forget the Florida Panthers have been cooking up some playoff magic of their own. Their Brad Marchand trade? It’s aging like fine wine in a Stanley Cup locker room. After stomping the Leafs 6-1 in Game 7, Florida’s headed to the Eastern Conference Finals for the third straight year, and that little trade clause from March? Yeah, it just hit. As Chris Johnston spilled on X, “By advancing past Round 2, Florida will send a 2027 first-round pick to Boston to complete the Brad Marchand trade. That’s a price they’ll gladly pay. Marchand was arguably the best player on the ice in the series.” And honestly? That makes sense.

Now let’s rewind real quick. Boston, in a plot twist no one saw coming, shipped their captain Brad Freakin’ Marchand down to sunny Florida back in March. In return? A chill lil’ 2027 second-rounder, unless things got spicy. And oh boy, the Panthers turned up the heat. The trade came with a conditional twist: if Florida reached the ECF and Marchand suited up for half their postseason party, that pick flips into a 2027 first. And guess what? Marchand’s been skating like an ageless menace, playing all 12 games so far and stacking up 12 points like it’s just another night at the rink. What’s even more impressive is that he finished Round 2 as the top points scorer (8 points) of all the Panthers.

Unless something absolutely bananas happens, he’s suiting up against Carolina too, which means, yep, the full trade clause is officially bing bong activated. And just to throw some glitter on top, if that pick falls inside the top 10? It becomes an unprotected 2028 first-rounder, as Steve Conroy pointed out. Boston could be looking at a treasure chest of five first-round picks in three years. Oh, and let’s not forget this lil’ nugget the NHL dropped: “Brad Marchand is the first player in NHL history to win five winner-take-all games against the same franchise.” Yeah… Leafs fans definitely didn’t need that stat hitting their timelines again. But hey, pain builds character, right?