Panthers' Brad Marchand Has Many Suitors

It's not often that a 37-year-old is one of the top players available in free agency, but Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand absolutely is.

A four-time All-Star, Marchand joined the Panthers on March 7 via a mid-season trade with the Boston Bruins, the only team he had ever played for. The former Boston captain fit in beautifully with Florida, scoring 10 goals and 20 points in 23 games while primarily playing on the third line. He was also incredibly clutch, and even finished as the runner-up for the Conn Smythe Trophy.

However, Marchand is now set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and he's going to get paid after an incredible playoff run. The Panthers still have time to extend him, but if they can't, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman believes there will be a wide range of potential suitors.

"Brad Marchand had a Ruthian spring as a player, quote machine, Dairy Queen pitchman and Instagram troller," Friedman wrote. "He said before the Final, he’d consider all options. At the same time, a few sources said he’d get at least $24 million on the open market. By the end, they were saying that was way too low. What you’re going to see here is different teams trying to hit the magic overall salary number, but at different terms and structures. 

"Florida is first up, obviously, with the advantage of already being a perfect fit and good state taxes. If he doesn’t stay, Toronto and Utah are expected to be among the serious pursuers. Utah has indicated it is not crazy about term, Toronto could prefer to stretch it out, but, watching him in the final, who wouldn’t want him? Los Angeles (who had a deal with Boston, only to find out Marchand wanted Florida), New Jersey, Washington, etc., etc., he can fit anywhere."

The Toronto Maple Leafs would be an interesting destination for Marchand considering how much he's tortured them over the years, defeating them in five separate Game 7s, including one this year. However, he was a Maple Leafs fan growing up, and they have been a popular destination for him this offseason.

On the other hand, the newly-renamed Utah Mammoth would instantly put themselves on the map by signing Marchand, but there is the question on whether or not he'd want to go there after the high of winning a Stanley Cup.

The Panthers have $19 million in cap space to work with, but with Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad also needing new deals, they'll use that up very quickly. As such, Marchand will be a very interesting player to watch over the next two weeks.