You’d be hard-pressed to find a four-month span that did more to raise a player’s stock heading into free agency than what Brad Marchand just reeled off.
Rewind back to early March and the 37-year-old was captaining a Boston Bruins side destined to miss the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade. Negotiations with the only NHL club he’d ever known had ground to a halt, the Bruins electing to part ways with the last leader from their Zdeno Chara-Patrice Bergeron era. Marchand himself seemed on track for a middling campaign, coming off a run at the 4 Nations Face-Off that saw him finish the tournament as one of Canada’s least-used forwards.
Then came the trade deadline, a move to Florida, and a chance to reassert himself on the game’s biggest stage.
A few timely championship-claiming performances later, Marchand enters free agency as one of the most coveted names on the market, his post-season dominance cementing his reputation as one of the league’s premier big-game performers.
Amid Florida’s Cup-winning run, the veteran amassed the fourth-most goals of any skater in the playoffs, and the 10th-most points, while only Leon Draisaitl potted more game-winners than No. 63. But it was in the Stanley Cup Final that Marchand truly made his presence known. The ageless wonder buried six goals in six games en route to burying Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers — only teammate Sam Reinhart collected more Cup Final tallies, and he scored four of his seven in the series’ final game.
Just ask Sam Bennett — the Conn Smythe winner, and potentially a highly coveted free agent himself — how important Marchand was to Florida’s championship journey:
“I truly don’t think we win a Stanley Cup without him,” Bennett said of Marchand in the wake of the Final. “His leadership, his will to win, it’s inspiring. I was telling him before every game, ‘We’re going to follow you,’ and we did.
“He was a dog every night, and he for sure could’ve won this [Conn Smythe] trophy.”
Now, Marchand is in need of a new deal. And the list of suitors is no doubt lengthy. That in mind, here’s a look at some potential landing spots for No. 63’s next chapter as we head towards July 1:
Florida Panthers
The Cats will surely be a front-runner given what we just saw from Marchand in a Panthers jersey. The fit was perfect, and what Florida can offer in terms of lifestyle, tax situation, and a chance to win again next year surely helps.
The money could be an issue, though. Marchand is coming off an eight-year deal with the Bruins that carried a $6.13-million AAV, a number he outperformed during much of his Boston tenure. In a recent episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Marchand seems set to earn around $24 million over three years ($8 million per year) on his next deal — and that the winger’s playoff performance could raise that number, or add more term.
Florida has decisions to make on pending free agents Bennett and Aaron Ekblad too, and a number of others. They already have three forwards making upwards of $8 million per year (soon to be four, if Bennett stays), and could be wary of adding a fourth to that list. For Marchand, if the priority is winning, running it back seems the best bet. But if he’s looking to cash in on what will likely be the final big-ticket deal of his career, a move out of Sunrise may make more sense.
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Boston Bruins
How strong is the pull to return home, to go back to the franchise with whom his name had become synonymous, up until it all went south this past March? At the time of the deadline deal, it seemed unimaginable that Marchand would hop over the boards wearing any other NHL jersey. It seemed the veteran would be crushed after the move. Instead, he settled in nicely with the Cats and seemed to relish every moment of being back in the post-season spotlight.
Bruins fans would surely jump at the chance to have their captain back, particularly given how Boston’s season ended and what the B’s looked like without him. Is there desire on Marchand’s part to return and finish out his career as a franchise legend? Or does the nature of his exit — which came as a result of GM Don Sweeney refusing to give Marchand the term the veteran felt he’d earned — take that off the table?
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs have stated their desire for a DNA change this summer, and it should be clear to anyone who’s watched Toronto playoff hockey at any point in the past half-decade where the changes are needed. The club is desperate for proven big-game performers, leaders who can raise their level when the stakes are highest and the lights are brightest. Marchand and Bennett are surely at the top of Toronto’s list, and either would be a worthwhile addition to a Maple Leafs side that’s often wilted in the big moments.
But it’s more complicated than simply throwing Marchand into the squad and expecting a Panthers-esque run. The Leafs will likely see Mitch Marner walk in free agency, and the club is struggling to get John Tavares signed, too. If one or both departs, Toronto will look notably thinner up front. Joining the Maple Leafs and slotting into a key offensive role would seem a much bigger challenge than chipping in as a third-liner among Florida’s deep, seasoned forward corps. Beyond that, there’s also the fact that Marchand’s had a front-row seat for years and years of Toronto playoff misery — the latest chapter showed just how much he revels in that blue-and-white playoff pain. Going from lifting the Cup in Florida to staving off doubters in Leafsland seems a tough sell — but perhaps one made palatable by a hefty contract offer.
Los Angeles Kings
The Kings’ pursuit of big-game talent to help them find the next level in the post-season is well-documented. Enter Marchand, who’s once again proven he’s as clutch as they come in the big leagues. There’s also the matter of the particular opponent No. 63 is coming off defeating. For four straight years, the Kings have come up against McDavid in the first round, and for four straight years, they’ve seen their post-season cut short by the Oilers. Who better to help them slay the Albertan dragon than Marchand, who just played a key role in taking down Edmonton when the stakes were high as they could possibly be?
We know the Kings are interested in the veteran. In a recent column, Friedman noted that Marchand nearly wound up going to L.A. instead of Florida ahead of the deadline in March — the Kings had a deal with Boston in the works, only to find out Marchand wanted to join the Cats instead. Should they look to take another run at him, L.A. has plenty of cap space to make a deal work, along with a promising squad, and plenty to offer in terms of the type of off-ice lifestyle Marchand got a taste of in South Florida.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Golden Knights have to be included any time a big fish is up for grabs in the NHL, and given the rise in Marchand’s stock following his playoff performance, it’s a safe bet that Vegas’s braintrust has at least mulled a move for the former B’s captain. We already know the Golden Knights are looking to add in a meaningful way this summer, with rumours floated linking them to Marner. But after two seasons of early-round exits from the post-season — the latest a tough five-game drubbing at the hands of the Oilers — the Knights could surely use a gamebreaker like No. 63.
Also key here is the presence of Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy, whose relationship with Marchand goes back a decade-and-a-half, to the winger’s AHL days. The two spoke glowingly of each other when they were reunited at 4 Nations, and it’s clear there’s a strong bond there, still. Should Marchand look to jump to another club with high post-season hopes, while avoiding the off-ice chaos that would come with a turn in blue and white, a reunion with his former Bruins coach in the desert could make plenty of sense.
Utah Mammoth
The league’s newest franchise is craving a marquee name to lead them into their first season as the newly named ‘Utah Mammoth,’ and there are few bigger characters in the game than Marchand. Friedman noted Utah as a club with interest in inking the star winger, and getting the veteran to join up — particularly given the other options on the table — would be a massive co-sign for the once-wayward franchise.
Still, with so many contenders vying for Marchand’s services, beating out the other suitors won’t be easy. Per Friedman, Utah seems wary of giving the 37-year-old substantial term — the same sticking point that stopped a deal with the Bruins from coming to fruition. But given the Mammoth are coming off a campaign that saw them miss the playoffs, and given they’re no sure bet to get there next year, it seems the opposite approach would be needed if they hope to land Marchand — the only way Utah becomes a viable option for the veteran is if they outbid everyone else at the table.
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