The start of free agency is just about here, as July 1 is only one day away. The Florida Panthers have still not re-signed top pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) Brad Marchand, and he will hit the market if this does not change in the next 24 hours. According to TSN's Darren Dreger, the Utah Mammoth, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Boston Bruins are three teams expected to target Marchand if he becomes a UFA on July 1. Dreger is the second insider to report that the Maple Leafs and Bruins are interested in Marchand, as TSN's Pierre LeBrun shared that on June 29. However, the Mammoth are a new team being connected to Marchand, and it ultimately makes sense. Utah is looking to take a big step forward next season and cement themselves as a true playoff team. They already got their off-season started with a bang, as they acquired forward JJ Peterka from the Buffalo Sabres. Adding Marchand would only improve their top six even further. There is no question that Utah could use a star like Marchand on their roster, too. Besides still being an impactful offensive player, Marchand also carries value because of his great leadership qualities and immense playoff success. With Utah being a young team, they would benefit greatly by having a veteran mentor like Marchand in the room. Nevertheless, it is going to be very intriguing to see if the Panthers can get a new deal done with Marchand. If they don't, No. 63 should have a ton of interest around the league. LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Stanley Cup heading to Montreal, will soon have names of 2024-25 Florida Panthers engraved onto it [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/stanley-cup-heading-to-montreal-will-soon-have-names-of-2024-25-florida-panthers-engraved-onto-it] NHL Rumors: 3 Teams Who Could Target Panthers' Nate Schmidt [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/nhl-rumors-3-teams-who-could-target-panthers-nate-schmidt] Florida Panthers announce 2025 Development Camp roster, schedule [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/florida-panthers-announce-2025-development-camp-roster-schedule] NHL Rumors: Bruins & Maple Leafs Linked To Panthers Star [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/nhl-rumors-bruins-maple-leafs-linked-to-panthers-star] Panthers GM Bill Zito speaks on team's 2025 NHL Draft selections [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-gm-bill-zito-speaks-on-team-s-2025-nhl-draft-selections] Photo Credit: © Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
