Brad Marchand Sweepstakes Appears to Be 3-Horse Race Involving Leafs and Two Heated Rivals

the Maple Leafs are currently involved in discussions with the Vegas Golden Knights about a potential sign-and-trade scenario involving Mitch Marner, which will signal the end of an era in Toronto.

With the departure of Marner looming, the Leafs will look to replace the star winger, and one of the leading candidates (should he make it to free agency on July 1st) is Brad Marchand.

On Sunday, TSN's Pierre LeBrun revealed that while the Leafs are hoping that the Panthers cannot sign him before July 1st so that they'll be able to pitch to Marchand during free agency, there is another horse in the race to lure him away from Florida after his second Stanley Cup victory; his old team, the Boston Bruins.

The Bruins are not expected to be the same powerhouse that they were over the last decade-plus, but the city holds a spot in Marchand's heart, which makes them a legitimate candidate to revive their partnership with him.

According to rumours and reports, there is no team on the open market that is prepared to pay Marchand as much term and dollars as the Leafs are willing to pay him.

A report from TSN's Darren Dreger also suggests that Marchand may have a desire to play for Craig Berube in his final stretch, to put a feather in the cap of what has been a Hall of Fame career. Time will tell how this all unfolds.