Following the NHL trade deadline, there has been plenty of noise surrounding the Toronto Maple Leafs and Mitch Marner for several reasons. To this point, Marner is a pending UFA and does not want to enter negotiations for his new contract.

As has been extensively covered here and by several NHL insiders, the Toronto Maple Leafs made a serious push to acquire Mikko Rantanen before the NHL trade deadline. In fact, the Leafs engaged in multiple trade discussions with the Carolina Hurricanes,

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman first reported that the Leafs informed Marner of the offer, but that he ultimately rejected the move, blocking any trade. "As is his right, Marner declined to move, re-iterating his desire to stay," Friedman wrote.

The Maple Leafs picked up Flyers' center Scott Laughton at the NHL trade deadline. How did both sides make out in the deal?

The Leafs picked up their right-handed defenceman and depth centre. The moves' effectiveness will play out in time.

The Toronto Maple Leafs made several moves at the NHL trade deadline to strengthen their roster for the playoff push. With a tight battle for first place against the Florida Panthers, and the Tampa Bay Lightning climbing the standings recently, they couldn’t afford to stand pat as other contenders made key upgrades.

The Toronto Maple Leafs made two positive moves at the trade deadline. These changes should improve the team’s chances of making a deep playoff run. The team has had a few recent highs and lows, but the trades and upcoming adjustments should improve the postseason roster and,