Brad Marchand Reportedly Has Maple Leafs on his Short List For One Specific Reason

During the Stanley Cup Finals, Brad Marchand expressed interest in playing almost anywhere as his career winds down.

His comments, in combination with Brad Treliving's 'change the DNA' statement, rumours have been swirling about Marchand potentially signing with the Leafs on July 1st.

Expected to get $8M or more on the open market, it appears to be a two-horse race for his services between the Leafs and Florida Panthers.

As the Panthers continue to celebrate their second consecutive Stanley Cup, GM Bill Zito is hard at work trying to find a way to keep Marchand, Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad.

Should his efforts fail, however, TSN's Darren Dreger believes the Leafs have an advantage to landing the 37-year-old that isn't related to money.

On Thursday's 'Ray and Dregs' podcast, Dreger alluded to the coaching style of Craig Berube as being a factor in swaying the future hall-of-famer to join his long-time hated rival.

Berube's straight-forward, old-school coaching is certainly ideal for the older Marchand, as we saw during his time with the Panthers. Although it would be considered an overpay on his contract, especially if he finds himself on the third line, Marchand and the Leafs seem to be a perfect fit for each other.

With just a few days left before the two-time Cup Champion hits the open market, everyone is keeping a close eye his discussions with the Panthers and preparing their to put their best foot forward if he hits the market on July 1st.