NHL Rumours: Toronto Maple Leafs Interest in Rival Forward

It’s time for another round of NHL rumours. We’re nearing the end of the 2024-25 season. but some teams are already thinking about next year. The NHL Draft and start of free agency on July 1 is on the mind of every team in the league. Some clubs are looking to make some massive changes and bolster their lineups. One team that had a heartbreaking elimination has already been the subject of speculation.

That team is the Toronto Maple Leafs and this edition of NHL rumours deals with their interest in adding a longtime rival forward.

All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.

NHL Rumours

Toronto Maple Leafs Could Make a Play to Add Longtime Tormentor

Rumour: In a recent edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said that Leafs could take a run at signing Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand.

Analysis: Toronto was ousted again in the most-heartbreaking fashion a week ago and Marchand was at the centre of it. The veteran forward has had the Leaf’s number for many season. Marchand is 5-0 against Toronto in Game 7s and has five goals in those do-or-die games.

The 37-year-old is a Halifax, Nova Scotia native, but grew up rooting for the Maple Leafs. He said he enjoys playing against the team he grew up supporting and is quick to defend them whenever the Leafs take criticism.

Marchand said that Toronto is “getting crucified, and I don’t think it’s justified.” The longtime veteran has become hated during his stints with the Boston Bruins and the Panthers. However, could we see the unthinkable and Marchand don the blue and white in 2025-26?

Panthers' Brad Marchand Sends 'Dangerous' Message After Game 4 Comeback - Yahoo Sports

What It Means

Toronto has already undergone some changes with Brendan Shanahan is out as the team’s president. Maple Leafs’ CEO Keith Pelley said more changes are likely to happen. Despite this, general manager Brad Treliving and head coach Craig Berube will return.

Changes are also likely to come regarding the on-ice product. Two members in the “Core Four” of Mitch Marner and John Tavares are unrestricted free agents and need new deals. We’ve talked about Tavares having some willingness to take a pay cut to stay with the team in previous editions of NHL rumours. However, Marner seems unlikely to stay.

Toronto also has to address a new deal for restricted free agent forward Matthew Knies, but other changes are likely on the horizon. We could see a vastly different lineup as the Leafs try to end their Stanley Cup drought that’s bordering on nearly 60 years.

Friedman interpreted Marchand’s fencing with the media after Game 7 and thinks Leafs’ management will make an offer. Marchand may be nearing 40 years old, but he’s still productive. Sportsnet’s Luke Fox ranked Marchand as the sixth-most desirable free agent target this coming off-season.

Father Time is undefeated and Marchand is in the latter stages of his career. However, he could still be a contributor for the Leafs. The roster needs some edge and mental toughness for these Game 7s. It would be odd to see him in that sweater, but it could be a risk that pays off.

Maple Leafs part ways with team president Brendan Shanahan

The Toronto Maple Leafs will part ways with president Brendan Shanahan after the team announced on Thursday that it will not renew his contract.

It marks the end of an 11-year run for Toronto native Shanahan, during which time the Maple Leafs reached the postseason each of the last nine seasons. Prior to his arrival, Toronto qualified for the playoffs just once in nine years.

“Over the past 11 seasons, Brendan Shanahan has made countless contributions to the Toronto Maple Leafs on the ice, off the ice and in the community,” Keith Pelley, MLSE president and CEO, said in a statement. “Brendan is one of the most respected leaders in the game and he has instilled many of the traits that were the signature of his Hall of Fame career throughout the organization, uniting this storied franchise in the ‘Honour, Pride and Courage’ that it was founded on.

Panthers' Brad Marchand Sends 'Dangerous' Message After Game 4 Comeback - Yahoo Sports

“Our responsibility and driving motivation, however, is to add a new chapter to the Maple Leafs’ championship history, and it was determined that a new voice was required to take the team to the next level in the years ahead. The franchise will be forever grateful for Brendan’s contributions and wish him and his family every success and happiness in the future.”

The six most successful seasons in Maple Leafs history in terms of victories occurred under Shanahan’s watch. Postseason success, however, did not follow. Toronto won just two playoff series during his tenure, never advancing past the second round. The Leafs fell to the Florida Panthers in the second round on Sunday.

The Maple Leafs have not won the Stanley Cup since 1967 — the longest such drought in the NHL.

“While I am proud of the rebuild we embarked on starting in 2014, ultimately, I came here to help win the Stanley Cup, and we did not,” Shanahan, 56, said in a statement. “There is nothing more I wanted to deliver to our fans, and my biggest regret is that we could not finish the job.”