“We want him”: Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving breaks silence on Mikko Rantanen-Mitch Marner trade drama

For a brief period, it looked like the Toronto Maple Leafs might part ways with Mitch Marner to trade for and sign Mikko Rantanen. That never materialized, as Rantanen was shipped elsewhere and Marner remained a Maple Leaf after the trade deadline.

Marner was similarly involved in trade rumors since he's on an expiring contract as well, but the Maple Leafs are taking their chances. According to GM Brad Treliving, they're hopeful Marner will remain in Toronto for the long haul.

Treliving said, via TSN:

"We're aligned with Mitch. We're worried about this season, we're worried about the games we have coming up. We want Mitch here for a long time. It's not a distraction, and like I said, we think the world of him."

Treliving refused to provide any insight or further updates, stating that they're moving forward and are focused on the task at hand, which is to eventually win a Stanley Cup this year.

The Maple Leafs were monitoring the Rantanen situation and reportedly asked Marner to waive his no-trade clause for a potential deal. Ultimately, whether because of Marner or not, that never transpired.

The Carolina Hurricanes ended up sending Rantanen to the Dallas Stars, and the Maple Leafs had to look elsewhere at last week's deadline.

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Leafs captain speaks on Mitch Marner trade rumors

Mitch Marner has been involved in contract rumors and trade rumors all season, but he's largely ignored it all to put in a good season for the Toronto Maple Leafs, a current second-place team.

Mitch Marner got praise for his handling of the situation (Imagn)

Captain Auston Matthews praised his teammate for it on Sunday during media availability:

"He's handled things great. There's certain things that are out of your control, and that's one of them. It is what it is. I don't really know what else to say about it."

Matthews added:

"Everybody's focused on today. When tomorrow comes, we'll focus on tomorrow and just continue to progress as a team."

Marner may hit free agency this offseason, but his GM is confident that he'll be able to re-sign the forward for a very long time and make sure he stays in Toronto beyond this season.