Brad Marchand reportedly delivers ultimate troll to the Maple Leafs

If you thought Brad Marchand was done haunting Toronto, think again.

The longtime Maple Leafs villain perhaps pulled off what might be his greatest troll job yet when he teased a potential move to Toronto in free agency, only to re-sign with the Florida Panthers on a six-year contract that will take him to the ripe old hockey age of 43.

Heading into the offseason, many believed Marchand was on his way out of Florida. Cap crunches, big-name UFAs like Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad, and some well-placed quotes from Marchand himself had Toronto fans, and even a few media outlets, buzzing. Could Marchand be joining the Leafs as the missing piece in their top-six?

Nope. It was all a dream that Marchand made sure to turn into a nightmare for the Maple Leafs’ fanbase.

In true Marchand fashion, he let the speculation build, played coy during interviews, and then inked a monster deal to stay in Florida, right after Bennett and Ekblad re-signed as well. Was it ever even close? We may never know. But it was enough to get some Leafs fans hopeful… which makes it the perfect troll.

For Toronto, Marchand’s decision leaves a hole still unfilled. Yes, they’ve been active during the offseason, extending John Tavares and Matthew Knies, trading for Matias Maccelli and Nicolas Roy, and adding toughness with Michael Pezzetta. But… are we even going to compared all this to Marchand?

Now in Toronto, Brad Treliving will likely have to find that player on the trade market, because most of the big-name UFAs are off the board. At this time with the market as it is, there is a feeling that Treliving might have to wait until the regular season to address that issue.

As for Marchand, he’s staying in the sunshine, chasing more Stanley Cups, and perhaps laughing at his latest epic troll to Leaf Nation.

Classic Marchand. Toronto fans probably should’ve known better.