New Report Changes Maple Leafs' Outlook on Brad Marchand Pursuit
Photo credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
With all the talk about Brad Marchand to the Maple Leafs, a new report from Elliotte Friedman shows the Panthers might be able to keep him around after all.
There's only a week left until free agency kicks off, and with the Toronto Maple Leafs expected to be big players this summer, it's a highly anticipated time that will see a lot of changes come in the form of signings, as well as saying farewell to some familiar names.
Florida may be able to afford Brad Marchand after all: Elliotte Friedman
The biggest name they've been heavily linked to is Brad Marchand, as no one has seemed to be more sure to be a Maple Leaf come next October.
The team is expected to go hard for him this summer, but if Elliotte Friedman is to be believed, it might be a lot harder than they may have anticipated.
Speaking on his 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman explained that the Panthers are going to try and give a longer deal for Aaron Ekblad to keep him around, and it would be feasible to see them try the same thing with Marchand:
I think the Panthers are likely going to try to give him (Ekblad) term and spread it out over term and see if they can make it work. I don't see why they can't do the same kind of thing with Marchand if they want to. - Elliotte Friedman
With the reports that Marchand's magic number was $8-million per season, it would be surprising to see him sign for less, but if the Panthers are able to convince him that they can run it back with everyone, he might be privy to taking a discount on salary for a longer term.
Will Toronto be able to persuade Marchand to leave Panthers?
If the Panthers are able to sign him for five or six years at an AAV of $6-million, it would give him at minimum a $30-million deal that will give him a consistent chance to win for the rest of his career.
Marchand, 36, was a stud for the Panthers this past postseason. Being acquired from Boston in a last-minute deadline deal, he had 20 points in 23 games and was instrumental in Florida winning their second straight Cup.
The former Bruins captain has 980 points in 1,100 career games and is one of the most reliable and clutch playoff performers of the last decade and a half.
Though it took him 14 years in between Cup wins, Marchand never wavered when it mattered; a big reason why Toronto wants to heavily target him this summer.
Brad Treliving is going to have to make a seriously lucrative offer to Marchand if he wants to lure him in, but with Marchand openly telling GM Bill Zito to keep him around; it's going to take a boatload of money to bring their one-time nemesis over to their side.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 24 | 722 ANSWERS New Report Changes Maple Leafs' Outlook on Brad Marchand Pursuit Do you think the Maple Leafs have a chance to sign Brad Marchand? | ||
| Yes | 362 | 50.1 % |
| No | 360 | 49.9 % |
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