NHL Insiders Disagree on Possible Brad Marchand Offseason Destination

According to Nick Kypreos, appearing Friday on the "Leafs Morning Take" podcast, the Leafs are not only in the mix for the veteran winger but may already be leading the pack.

"There’s no team on the planet right now that can satisfy the lost income he had probably on the last 3–4 years of his Boston Bruins deal, than the Toronto Maple Leafs," Kypreos said. He went as far as to suggest, “I don’t know how he doesn’t end up as a Maple Leaf.”

But the Maple Leafs aren’t alone and might face competition from an unexpected chaser.

Elliotte Friedman reported on Friday's episode of the "32 Thoughts"  podcast that the Utah Mammoth, the NHL’s newest franchise, might be interested in Marchand too, and willing to spend.

“Maybe the magic number, like, that’s 24 million," Friedman speculated on the offer the Mammoth might submit to Marchand. "Maybe he gets more than that in another structure.”

According to Daily Faceoff, Marchand is projected to sign a two-year, $5.1 million contract. That valuation would fall way short of Friedman's suggestion of a $24 million deal spread over three or four years with annual cap hits ranging from $6-to-8 million.