One of the biggest storylines of the NHL offseason is the situation surrounding Brad Marchand, the Florida Panthers star who is set to become a free agent on July 1. There are plenty of options for the 37-year-old veteran, and now the Toronto Maple Leafs, led by their franchise player Auston Matthews, have entered the picture.
A report revealed in recent hours by NHL insider Paul Bissonnette indicated that Toronto is considering Marchand as a potential replacement for Mitch Marner to support Matthews on offense, and that the team may be preparing a significant offer.
While Marchand’s future remains uncertain and the Panthers have indicated there are positive signs toward a possible extension, at this point in the offseason, anything can happen. Amid all the speculation, Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving made a statement that raises some eyebrows.
The Maple Leafs’ stance on potential offers like the one for Marchand
“There’s cap space available, so that leads us to, how are we going to use that. We’re trying to improve the team. Everybody’s focused on July 1st, and I get it. We don’t play on July 2nd, so you use the time starting on July 1st to try to make the team better, and that may come on July 1st, it may come August 1st, September 1st. You’re not sure,” Maple Leafs GM Treliving said during a press conference, offering a calm approach regarding big-name signings like Marchand.
When asked who might replace Marner, Treliving left the door open to all possibilities, without ruling out Marchand. “There’s certainly some challenges [losing] a really good player, and I think I’ve said this before too, there’s not a Mitch Marner tree that you go to and just replace him. So if that indeed happens, we’ll continue to look at ways that we can help ourselves,” he added.
The Maple Leafs’ offseason outlook
While Treliving didn’t name Marchand directly, the Maple Leafs GM is well aware that the front office is reportedly exploring a move to acquire him, as Bissonnette reported. It has even been suggested that the offer could be worth 4 years and $36 million. Anything is possible, including seeing Marchand suit up for one of his former rivals in Toronto.