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Paul Bissonnette Hears of ‘Agreed Upon’ Brad Marchand-Maple Leafs Deal
John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ offseason overhaul may have its first major twist in the addition of a former bitter rival to the roster ahead of next season.

Former Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand, fresh off winning his second Stanley Cup — wearing the Florida Panthers sweater — is set to enter free agency on July 1 and has been heavily linked to Toronto heading into the open market.

With star forwards John Tavares and Mitch Marner both set to become free agents after completing their contracts with the Maple Leafs, Toronto will be looking to sign someone to make up for those potential exits.

On Wednesday's episode of the "Spittin’ Chiclets" podcast, co-host Paul Bissonnette shared a message he received from what he called “someone very reliable.”

“I got a message from someone very reliable," Bissonnette said. "I heard rumblings that it is already agreed upon, four times $9 (million) for Brad Marchand.

"That would be unreal, that would be a culture setter. That would make losing (John) Tavares, if you do, not as painful, we knew (Mitch) Marner was gone.”

Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos recently commented on Marchand's situation, saying the Leafs are his best option while appearing on "Leafs Morning Take" a few days ago.

"There’s no team on the planet right now that can satisfy the lost income (Marchand) had probably on the last three/four years of his Boston Bruins deal, than the Toronto Maple Leafs," Kypreos said.

Marchand dropped a comment on an Instagram post related to Kypreos' comment, leaving the door open for a potential move to Toronto via free-agency signing with the Maple Leafs this offseason.

“(Expletive) dawg… the people wanna see it?” Marchand posted.

The 37-year-old forward remains a premier playoff performer and is coming off a postseason run in which he scored 20 points in 23 games. Throughout his career, Marchand has scored 158 points in 180 career playoff contests.

Marchand just completed an eight-year, $49 million deal, and Daily FaceOff projects him to sign a two-year, $10.2 million contract this offseason, way short of Bissonnette's reported four-year, $36 million deal.

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

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