Brad Marchand's Potential Debut With Panthers Revealed

It was a stunning trade that took the NHL by storm, as the Florida Panthers acquired Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand at the trade deadline in order to beef up their roster and give them yet another potent offensive producer who has a lot of postseason success.

But he suffered an injury prior to the trade, and while he's been at practice with the team he has yet to debut in a game.

However, according to sources, the polarizing forward may make his season debut ahead of the Panthers game against Marchand's biggest enemy: The Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Panthers are in town next Wednesday in a crucial divisional battle with the Leafs, and having Marchand in their lineup will give Toronto all sorts of headaches, and if he can get into a groove quickly against Utah, it may be bad news going forward for the blue and white.

It was thought that when the Maple Leafs defeated Boston the final time this season, it was going to be the end of seeing Marchand for the year, and perhaps he would have appeared elsewhere to cause them annoyance but not until next season.

While he has been injured, he's put up another solid offensive season. Marchand has 47 points in 61 games (21G, 26A) and has made it 12-straight seasons with at least 20 goals.

Yes, he can be a nuisance to opponents on the ice, but there's no denying the level of talent he has. In his 1090 career games, he's registered 422 goals and 554 assists and is a Hall of Fame candidate after he retires for sure.

When Florida pulled off the blockbuster to acquire him, it sent a collective shiver down the spine of all Maple Leafs fans and for good reason.

The 36-year old has been a thorn in Toronto's side for over a decade, and if he can come back from his injury at full speed, it's going to be another frustrating year.

He's a point per game player against Toronto with 57 points in 57 games, second only to Buffalo for the most against any team.

Florida was already powerful enough with Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Sasha Barkov, and now Marchand? That feels like a team that can easily repeat.

So it'll be interesting to see how Florida utilizes their newest weapon, and if he shuts the Maple Leafs down while adding some offense too, it's going to spell disaster for Toronto come playoff time.

And just add another feather to Marchand's ever decorated cap.