So, Brad Marchand is literally one week away from becoming a free agent, and after his stellar run with the Florida Panthers, it’s no surprise that other teams may want to steal the center away and add some of that ‘rat charm’ to their own pack in a bid to stop a Panthers three-peat. Marchand’s trade from Boston just before the trade deadline was shocking indeed, with GM Don Sweeney getting a lot of flack for the decision. Especially after Marchand went and played his heart out with the Florida Panthers and then lifted the Stanley Cup to top it off. However, some analysts have speculated that the decision was based partly on Marchand’s age, 37 now, so verging on the final stages of his hockey career.
That being said, different strokes for different folks, and the way Marchand is playing is not indicative of his age at all. He scored ten playoff goals this year, seven of which were pivotal in giving the Panthers a big lead in the series and ultimately securing their win. Marchand’s age may have been a factor taken into consideration from the point of view of long-term planning, but for those thinking about the present, Marchand is definitely up there with the men of the hour. In fact, he’s only second to Leon Draisaitl in terms of go-ahead goals (Draisaitl had 8 over Marchand’s 7).
It seems teams are coveting Brad Marchand, and how! According to a recent tweet by Spittin Chiclets host Paul Bissonnette, he shared a screenshot wherein an unnamed insider shares the scoop on Brad Marchand’s next step, i.e., a 4-year contract with the Maple Leafs for 9 million a year! And this comes after Panthers GM Bill Zito said, “I think we can bring them all back,” in response to talk of Florida’s 3 key UFA players returning (Brad Marchand, Aaron Ekblad, and Sam Bennett).
All the glory to God. https://t.co/6lUkiBfKnA pic.twitter.com/uas4VeLc0J
— Paul Bissonnette (@BizNasty2point0) June 24, 2025
If the source is to be believed, it makes it two shocking Brad Marchand moves in just a handful of months. Now, in four years Marchand is going to be 41, so if this is true, Brad Treliving is definitely making the decision based on the present, and fans seem to see right through it!
Fans react to rumors about Brad Marchand possibly landing in Toronto
Some fans just said it straight, “Damn the leafs just want to make history with terrible contracts. I love Marchy but paying him 9m when he’s 41 years old Is absurd.” Truth be told, it does sound like a lot, to take on a player at the end of his career and pay him just $4.25 short of Auston Matthews. It does seem like a stretch, but hey, Matthews had a quieter postseason than Marchand, so who’s to judge?
Others tried to figure out the strategy at play, writing, “So Tavares and Marchand is your second line? With defensive dynamo domi centering the third line with no one to play with? Have fun with that” Not to say that Bobby McMann and Easton Cowan are ‘no one,’ but let’s be honest, their performances this postseason didn’t exactly spark confidence.
Other fans had hard and fast D-Day reactions to the whole thing, writing, “Fold the franchise” Whatever is said and done, such a drastic move after this year’s debacle does seem like a cry for help, if not just an outlandish act of desperation. And after four years of dishing out $9 million to an aging Brad Marchand, how will the Leafs recover?
Some decided to look at the whole thing as a glass half full sort of situation, writing, “If that’s true, then good for him. He deserves it.” Well, if you look at it from the perspective of the player rather than the team, then it is a good thing, great in fact, for Marchand, who seemed to really pull Florida together better than ever this year.
And finally, there were some who were just trying to get the numbers right, writing, “9m is stupid money. 7m, sure.” But considering he is getting paid $6.125 million with the Bruins, $8 would seem like the more realistic number. Anyway, we’ll see what fate has in store for Brad Marchand in just a few short weeks.
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