Brad Marchand reveals how close he came to signing with the Leafs last summer

The Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers are in Toronto this evening to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs and, as expected, there were plenty of microphones in front of Panthers star Brad Marchand at media availability this morning. The 37 year old forward is never one to shy away from a media appearance and is always equipped with a pithy quote or two for the fans.

Today, Marchand was asked about his decision to re-sign with the Panthers this past offseason when he revealed that his free agency plans revolved around just two teams: The Panthers and the Leafs.

That's right.

Brad Marchand was very nearly a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Marchand himself said that he didn't think he'd be long for Florida even after his Stanley Cup run with the team, given they salary cap situation. In the end though, they managed to make things work and he signed a six year deal worth $5.25 million per season.

Marchand admitted though that negotiations came down to just Florida and Toronto and that he felt like for a moment that he was going to sign with the Leafs.

"It was between Florida and Toronto on where I was going to go. I never thought it was even possible to re-sign with Florida, I really didn't," Marchand told the media today.

As hard as that may be to imagine, it actually makes a lot of sense.

The Leafs were looking to turn the page on an era of their team (Bye bye Mitch Marner...) and a Marchand signing would have signaled an entirely new direction for the team.

As it stands, Marchand probably made the best decision for himself though. He's been a perfect fit for the Panthers since the moment he arrived last season and he is showing no signs of slowing down with age.

But hey... you can't blame the Leafs for trying...