Ah, trade rumors. These can be the most outrageous and outlandish things you've ever heard of. They can consist of the team's primary superstar being swapped for another superstar (i.e., Martin Necas for Mikko Rantanen). You got to love the creative human mind, eh?
A recent rumor popped up involving—you guessed it—the Vegas Golden Knights and Mitch Marner. This time, it involved a third team and Rantanen going to Toronto.
Toronto, Carolina, and Vegas almost had a three-way deal in place that would've sent Mitch Marner to Vegas and Mikko Rantanen to Toronto, per @mirtle.
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 9, 2025
The deal reportedly fell through because Carolina and Vegas "failed to find the right assets" to complete it. pic.twitter.com/dBrFLOl9mP
Let's be honest here. It's tough for the Golden Knights to "find the right assets" in this situation. They had the right assets, as proven by Shea Theodore being mentioned in prior rumors. It's that Kelly McCrimmon didn't want to part with key players like Theodore and William Karlsson.
He understood the role such players play in the grand scheme, opting to keep them around. Lo and behold, Theodore notches a career-high 50 assists and gets a contract extension.
What's more, Marner is a free agent this offseason. Vegas also has the possibility of Alex Pietrangelo going on LTIR, setting aside $8.8 million. That could bring the "Core Four" member in alongside Theodore and Karlsson, bolstering the forward group to the next level.
Kelly McCrimmon shattered the "Golden Knights aren't loyal to their players" narrative here
It isn't just Theodore that shattered the whole "The Golden Knights aren't loyal to their best players" propaganda machine, though. It was also Adin Hill receiving a six-year, $37.5 million contract. It was Brayden McNabb getting a three-year, $10.95 million deal.
Heck, you can even point to Brett Howden (five years, $12.5 million) and Keegan Kolesar (three years, $7.5 million) as shining examples of bona fide loyalty. When big names like Rantanen and Marner are on the market, do you dare risk them for the bigger fish? Or would you rather not cut your nose off to spite your face?
It's better to get the right piece in the free agency market in most cases. That way, you can keep those key pieces around for your current Stanley Cup contention window. If you're able to sign your big name? Perfect! It worked out in the end.
If not? There are other options available. It's a good thing this free agent market isn't the Mitch Marner show, because it would have been a disappointment for teams like the Golden Knights. Names like Nikolaj Ehlers, Brock Boeser, and Brad Marchand are also roaming around.
It shouldn't surprise anyone that Golden Knights fans didn't buy too much stock into the latest Marner and Rantanen story. They know how Kelly McCrimmon operates and know he would never cut his nose to spite his face. That's how they were eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs, after all.
If they pass on signing the "Core Four" member? Oh well. If they get him? Great!
Regardless, fans can confide in McCrimmon to make the necessary moves to lead the team to the next level. Even on his quietest offseason, he always stands and delivers. That's the beauty of having one of the best in the business, you know (and that's no rumor!).