Brad Marchand has made a solid career for himself since entering the NHL, first as an established point producer and longtime Boston Bruin, and second as a staunch torcher of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Machand has beaten the Leafs in the playoffs on five separate occasions, first in 2013 followed by 2018, 2019, 2024, and 2025. The first four came with the Bruins, and the most recent was following a fitting trade to the new generation Leafs kryptonite, the Florida Panthers.

The relationship between Maple Leafs fans and Marchand has been a roller coaster. Once rooted in pure hatred from the Leafs fans’ side of things, Marchand has softened his opinion on the Leafs in recent years and has been known to go to bat for them in the media, despite seemingly always being on the side of the team eliminating them. It hit a boiling point following the 2024-25 playoffs when the Maple Leafs were considered by some insiders to be one of the teams in contention to sign Marchand. One of these insiders was Nick Kypreos, who joined Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill and expressed strong belief that the Leafs would land the veteran pest.

Below is a Kypreos quote in an excerpt from the article we wrote about it at the time, which was one of our most clicked pieces in 2025.

Of course, Marchand didn’t go the route of seeking a blank check and opted to return to the Panthers on a relatively cheap contract for what he’s able to bring. For at least the next three years, the Leafs will continue to be in regular battle against Marchand as he concludes his career in the Atlantic Division.

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