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Brad Marchand's Strong Message on Maple Leafs' Trade Addition: 'You Got a Scumbag'
John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand is never short on words, and ahead of Florida’s matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs this week he fired his latest shot.

The former Boston Bruins captain—now a Panther following his trade-deadline move to Florida—had a tongue-in-cheek answer when asked what the Leafs got in the trade that send Brandon Carlo to Canada.

“You got a scumbag,” Marchand said jokingly. “No, I love Brando. He’s one of my best buddies on the team there. They got an incredible teammate in the room.”

Carlo and Marchand played nine seasons together in Boston before both were moved at the deadline. Their reunion came in a 3–2 Toronto win over Florida on Tuesday.

After the loss to the Leafs, Marchand addmitted that Carlo’s chirps during the game “cut deep.”

Marchand had stayed quiet then, but didn’t hold back when asked again before Tuesday’s game.

“He’s one of the best defensemen at killing plays,” Marchand said. “Just a steady guy that can log a ton of minutes. He wants to win. He competes at a very high level. So they got an incredible player back there.”

Carlo has appeared in 16 games with Toronto posting a plus-4 valuation while assisting two goals.

Marchand, meanwhile, has been settling in with the Panthers, scoring his first goal for Florida on Thursday in a 4–1 win over Detroit. It was his first goal since being traded, and his 22nd of the season overall.

The Leafs and the Panthers are mired in a tight battle for the Atlantic Division title as Toronto leads the race with 100 points in 78 games compared to the Panthers' 96 points in 79 matches. 

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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