NHL insider Elliotte Friedman took his 32 Thoughts written blog to share who he believes is interested in Brad Marchand. Along with the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs, he suggested that the Utah Mammoth are also one of the teams to watch.
Friedman had this to say: "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."
If Utah is a potential suitor in the Marchand sweepstakes, it would be one of the most unexpected signings of the off-season. There would be so many people that absolutely love the move to bring in a veteran like Marchand to be the emotional leader in the room.
The 37-year-old showed that he still has tons of gas left in the tank when he and the Florida Panthers took down the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Finals. Throughout the entire playoffs he showed the NHL that he still is a star in the league and why any of the 31 other NHL teams would want him.
As Friedman points out though, it does look like the Panthers would be the number one choice for him and then the Toronto Maple Leafs since that is his boyhood team. However, Utah could make a strong push for him and potentially land another star forward and completely turn the franchise around and be a potential Cup contender themselves.
Free agency opens on July 1, so we don't need to wait that long to see what happens with the future of Marchand.
