Brad Marchand Admits Truth About Why He Refused to Wait to Hear Leafs' Offer as a UFA

Coming into the summer of 2025, there were a couple of pretty significant storylines to follow with regard to free agency, one being the Mitch Marner saga and the other being where Brad Marchand might sign.

The Florida Panthers were facing the very real possibility of losing 1 or 2 key players this summer due in large to their salary cap situation, and with Marchand expected to fetch somewhere between $8M and $9M (or more) in free agency, it seemed likely that the former Bruins pest would be available.

In the end, Marchand signed a new deal in Florida, as did Aaron Ekblad and Sam Bennett, keeping nearly the whole band together for another kick at the can after back-to-back Stanley Cup victories.

It was widely believed that if Marchand went to free agency, the Leafs were going to make a good, strong push to enlist his services. Marchand himself even fed into the hype, trolling Leafs fans and teasing interest in signing in Toronto

Unfortunately, we all know how it ended up, and Marchand revealed why it played out the way it did and why he opted to re-up in Florida instead of listening to offers from Toronto and other interested suitors. Spoiler alert: Florida's tax situation played a key role.

Marchand, who was dealt to Florida at the trade deadline last season, will now have a chance to compete for a 3rd career Stanley Cup next season and beyond.

There were definitely questions about the legitimacy of the Marchand deal and whether or not the contract would be upheld, and whether the Panthers might potentially be investigated for salary cap circumvention, but in the end, nothing really came of it.