There’s nothing worse than being filled with hope, only for it to come crashing down in the blink of an eye. That’s exactly what the Florida Panthers did to the Toronto Maple Leafs before re-signing Brad Marchand. In immediate response, Toronto secured a former Panther and Stanley Cup champion to stay alongside Auston Matthews and company ahead of the 2025–26 NHL season.
Just when the Maple Leafs felt Marchand could actually join Matthews and the rest of the team, the Panthers retained the star veteran. It wasn’t easy—whatsoever—but Florida has pulled off the perfect trifecta, resigning Marchand, Bennett, and Ekblad.
In a frantic day, the top pending free agents in the NHL were taken off the market. The Maple Leafs traded Mitch Marner to Vegas, the prospect of replacing him with Marchand was exciting, but simply wasn’t meant to be. Instead, the Leafs have now announced the re-signing of a former Stanley Cup champion with the Cats in 2024.
As announced by the team, Toronto has re-signed forward Steven Lorentz to a three-year deal with an average annual value (AAV) of $1.35M. Lorentz had joined the Maple Leafs in last year’s offseason after helping Florida win its first Stanley Cup.
Steven Lorentz #18 of the Florida Panthers hoists the cup after Florida’s 2-1 victory against the Edmonton Oilers in Game Seven of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on June 24, 2024 in Sunrise, Florida.
Marchand’s new deal
According to reports from insider Pierre LeBrun, the Panthers reached a team-friendly deal with Marchand. He reported the 37-year-old veteran has signed a six-year, $31.5M extension. Moreover, it includes a full no-movement clause during the first four years, and a modified no-trade clause in the last two years of the deal.
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Marchand would earn $5.25 million every year. That’s definitely a number Florida can live with. However, the bigger surprise lies on the length of the contract. Marchand would be a Panther through the 2030-31 season in which he will turn 43.
Marner’s trade
It was definitely a busy Monday in Toronto, as in the rest of the continent. However, there weren’t many good news for the Maple Leafs. Marner’s time in The Six officially came to a close, as he now finally moves on to his next chapter. To do so,the Leafs completed a sign-and-trade scenario with the Vegas Golden Knights.
The call confirming the trade has yet to go through but all signs indicate it’s to be expected in the upcoming hours. Toronto handed Marner an eight-year contract with a $12M AAV, which Vegas will take up entirely at any moment now.
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The tide has turned in Ontario. What was initially seen as a promising offseason is now looking bleak, as every pending free agent Toronto had been salivating over has been taken off the market.
