Brad Marchand's New Projected Salary After Stanley Cup Win Could Spell Trouble for Leafs

Though he's celebrating his second Stanley Cup, and probably having a few libations while he's at it, free agency is the last thing on Brad Marchand's mind but he won't have much time to relax given that free agency opens up in two weeks.

That free agency is going to be wild no doubt, and with so many teams being able to spend this summer it's going to be unpredictable to say the least.

For Marchand, he's expected to get a huge raise wherever he signs. How much that raise is has been brought into question, but NHL Insider Darren Dreger believes it could be quite the hefty increase:

It's not a big surprise to see Marchand and his camp wanting to get a raise, considering he's never made more than $7M per season in his career, is a two-time champion with the production numbers mirroring some of the league's elite.

That means Marchand is going to have every contender looking to make an offer this summer and he would instantly improve their playoff chances upon arrival.

Marchand, 36, had 51 points in 71 games (23G, 28A) but added 20 points in 23 playoff games (10G, 10A). He has 158 points in 180 career postseason games (66G, 92A) with a blistering plus-47 rating.

One of the main frontrunners looking to sign Marchand is the Maple Leafs, and while they have a lot of cap to play with, they do have some pressing matters to attend to, and if they want to add multiple players this summer, they can't commit too much.

But this is Marchand we are talking about and besides being torched yet again by him in the postseason, the ability to add such a game changer for a team who has sorely lacked one in a decade is too good to pass up.

Brad Treliving preached changing the DNA of the team, and bringing in Marchand would not only change that, but seriously flip it on its head.

So if it's gonna cost them a bit more than they thought so be it; you don't find guys like him available very often.