Maple Leafs May Have Opportunity to Acquire Longtime Rival Brad Marchand in a Blockbuster Trade

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Chris Gerics
November 22, 2024 (1:55 PM)

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Brad Marchand in blue and white? With trade rumors circulating about a potential Bruins trade, the Maple Leafs could pull off a surreal blockbuster deal.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Brad Marchand are like oil and water, they don't mix.

Infamous for his antics against the Maple Leafs for a decade, Marchand mixes an unbelievable talent with a nuisance factor that has endeared him to Bruins fans and made him public enemy #1 for the NHL.

But with talks about who potentially could be traded from the Bruins, surely their long-time iconic pest wouldn't be on the block, right?

NHL Insider Chris Johnston thinks so:

"This is not a player we expected to find on the Big Board, even if he's currently playing out the final year on his contract.

But as a league source noted this week, "I don't think anyone in Boston thought this is where they'd be at." If the decision to replace Jim Montgomery with Joe Sacco behind the Bruins bench doesn't produce the desired results, some difficult personnel decisions will almost certainly follow."

Those difficult decisions may involve looking forward to the future and letting go of their once-dominant past. Marchand is a relic of past dynasty and while he still performs, he's not in their bigger picture.

At 36, and also an upcoming free agent, Marchand is invaluable to a team given his production as a playoff performer and how he can change a game on any given night, either through skills, or being sneaky.

Brad Marchand: Maple Leafs Savior?

So what if Brad Treliving inquired about a fellow Brad? It's insane to think about, given how much Marchand and Toronto are intrinsically linked together, for better or worse. But there is no doubt he could be a massive part of a Toronto Stanley Cup run.

Marchand would instantly improve Toronto's Top 6, and could make a case for being a third-line winger and being the sparkplug for their offense down there.

This season Marchand has 14 points for the 9-9-3 Bruins, and has been a star for the last decade-plus. Including this year, he has 943 points in 1050 NHL games and had four-straight 30-goal seasons as well.

Toronto could give up David Kampf, Nick Robertson, and a 3rd rounder to acquire Marchand, and it would give Toronto's youth movement a chance to shine.

Given if all Maple Leafs are healthy, here is a potential lineup featuring Marchand:

Knies -- Matthews -- Nylander
Marchand -- Tavares -- Marner
Pacioretty -- Domi-- Grebenkin
Lorentz -- Holmberg -- Reaves/Dewar

You don't need to keep Marchand up top either, as he can slide into Max Pacioretty's position and form a grinding, pesky duo with Max Domi, or use his knowledge and help teach Nikita Grebenkin how to get away with stuff to help his future career.

Brad Marchand would help Toronto, as much as fans would like to argue against it. He brings more than just skill on the ice and his presence alone ruffles enough feathers to turn opponents' focus away from others, leading to better chances.

It would be weird, it would be crazy, and it would cause a shockwave throughout the entire NHL.

But it's so crazy, it might work.