{"id":2154,"date":"2026-06-02T06:35:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T06:35:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=2154"},"modified":"2026-06-02T06:35:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T06:35:24","slug":"the-mitch-marner-effect-how-one-decision-put-vegas-and-carolina-on-a-stanley-cup-final-path","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=2154","title":{"rendered":"The Mitch Marner Effect: How one decision put Vegas and Carolina on a Stanley Cup Final path"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) \u2014 A few days in early March 2025 changed the course of the NHL. Mitch Marner was at the epicenter of it.<\/p>\n

Read more Media Day kicks off Stanley Cup Final fun<\/a><\/p>\n

Marner was nearing the end of his contract with Toronto, and all signs pointed to him not re-signing. Carolina had just acquired fellow pending free agent Mikko Rantanen from Colorado in a three-way trade in late January, and after several weeks it was also clear that would not be a long-term relationship.<\/p>\n

The Maple Leafs and Hurricanes discussed the possibility of a Marner-for-Rantanen swap. Marner held the keys with his full no-movement clause, and he preferred staying put and seeing out one more run with the team that drafted him, then went on to choose Vegas, going to the Golden Knights in a sign and trade in late June before hitting the open market.<\/p>\n

Marner\u2019s decision caused a domino effect that led Vegas and Carolina to this stage, where they\u2019ll now meet in the Stanley Cup Final beginning Tuesday night. The Hurricanes pivoted to sending Rantanen to Dallas for Logan Stankoven \u2014 one of their best players during this run \u2014 along with a pick they then used to trade for K\u2019Andre Miller last summer, in the process saving the salary cap space needed to sign top free agent Nikolaj Ehlers.<\/p>\n

The Golden Knights got Marner, who leads all scorers in the playoffs and left no doubt why the Hurricanes were interested. Asked what the team liked, general manager Eric Tulsky declined comment because Marner is under contract with another team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can answer that one,\u201d coach Rod Brind\u2019Amour said. \u201cWhat don\u2019t you like about him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018What if?\u2019 is not on Marner\u2019s mind<\/h3>\n

When speculation was building last spring about Marner potentially being involved in a trade for Rantanen, it wasn\u2019t just a question of hockey. Marner\u2019s wife, Stephanie, was pregnant with the couple\u2019s first child. Marner is from the Toronto area.<\/p>\n

The Leafs reached the second round before blowing a 2-0 series lead to defending and eventual back-to-back champion Florida. The Hurricanes lost in five games to the Panthers in the East final, still missing something.<\/p>\n

This season, Marner was a point-a-game player. He has seven goals and 14 assists for a playoff-high 21 points.<\/p>\n

\u201cMitch is playing with tremendous confidence,\u201d GM Kelly McCrimmon said. \u201cI think he\u2019s really savoring the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Sharpshooter Milan Mimcilovic commits to Kentucky after pulling out of NBA draft<\/a><\/p>\n

Marner credited the coaching staff for putting him in positions to succeed and teammates for finishing scoring chances. Wearing a Vegas hoodie on Cup final media day, he insists he\u2019s not thinking about the alternate reality of playing for Carolina instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I\u2019m not a guy that lives in the past,\u201d Marner said. \u201cI\u2019m in the present. I\u2019m here in the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Hurricanes pivoted perfectly<\/h3>\n

Tulsky was referring to Rantanen when he said of taking chances, \u201cSometimes it doesn\u2019t go the way you hoped, and you\u2019ve got to be ready to figure out how you\u2019re going to move forward from there.\u201d Trading Martin Necas to the Avalanche for Rantanen did not work out, though getting veteran winger Taylor Hall from Chicago in the same deal certainly has.<\/p>\n

The pursuit of Marner fits in the same category, but plan B worked out swimmingly. Stankoven has been a difference-maker for Carolina centering the second line of Hall and Jackson Blake and is showing why he was the centerpiece of the return from the Stars for Rantanen.<\/p>\n

Had Marner wanted to go to Carolina, Stankoven could still be with Dallas. Instead, he had to grapple with the strange feeling of getting traded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t see it coming,\u201d Stankoven said. \u201cEverything kind of happens for a reason. Obviously, Dallas got their player, and I just want to become the best version of myself here in Carolina. Just how welcoming everyone has been here, the fans, my teammates, I absolutely love the city and couldn\u2019t be happier that I was able to sign long term here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The same day Stankoven signed an eight-year, $48 million contract, Tulsky used one of the first-round picks from the Rantanen trade to acquire Miller from the New York Rangers and sign him long term. By the end of the week, Ehlers chose Carolina among several intriguing suitors.<\/p>\n

Miller has thrived with the change of scenery, and Ehlers has, along with Stankoven, given the Hurricanes the offensive finish they lacked in several playoff runs that ended before the final.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Ehlers) adds things to it that aren\u2019t what we would ask a lot of players to do,\u201d Tulsky said. \u201cHaving that kind of ability on the team \u2014 someone who could just create scoring chances out of thin air \u2014 it always makes you more dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Rangers ace Jacob deGrom gets his 100th major league win on his son\u2019s 3rd birthday<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP NHL: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/stanley-cup and https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/nhl<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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