The Toronto Maple Leafs had another early playoff exit as Toronto was blown out in Game 7 by the Florida Panthers.
The Maple Leafs now enter a critical offseason as Mitch Marner and John Tavares are pending free agents. Both could not be brought back as Toronto could look much different.
NHL analyst Sam McKee of Sportsnet urges the Maple Leafs to go out and overpay Brad Marchand in free agency to get him to sign in Toronto.
“This guy is the Leafs’ daddy, he is their Papa, he is 5-0 against them in Game 7s. Overpay, just overpay Marchand and Bennett, see if it works, try it, overpay them,” McKee said on LeafsTalk.
McKee’s co-host, JD Bunkis, agreed and thinks Toronto should sign Marchand, who was a key reason why the Panthers eliminated the Maple Leafs.
“Straight up though, here is a serious question. Don’t you offer him more than his market value to get him to come here?… I think you should,” Bunkis added.
Marchand is in the final year of his eight-year, $49 million deal. He’s the former Boston Bruins captain and now plays for the Panthers, so the analyst believes Toronto needs to sign him this offseason.
Marchand recorded 1 goal and 2 assists for 3 points in Game 7 against the Maple Leafs. In the playoffs, he has 3 goals and 9 assists for 12 points in 12 playoff games.
Marchand Praises Maple Leafs After Series Win
After Florida eliminated Toronto in Game 7, Marchand heaped praise on the Maple Leafs.
Before the series started, Marchand said the Maple Leafs were a different team. After the series ended, Marchand confirmed it again and doesn’t think the criticism they get is fair.
“I think if you look at the heat this team catches, it’s actually really unfortunate,” Marchand said after Game 7. “You know, they’ve been working and building something really big here for a while, and they were a different brand of hockey this year, and they’re getting crucified, and I don’t think it’s justified.”
After haunting the Maple Leafs for years, perhaps Marchand will join Toronto in free agency. He also said once again that he grew up a Maple Leafs fan.
“I grew up a Leafs fan, and I enjoy playing against the Leafs,” Marchand said. “I enjoy interacting with fans. It’s fun. I don’t take myself too seriously. I love getting made fun of and I love making fun of people. If you can’t take it, then so be it. I’m going to enjoy the moments that I have. When I come in here and I get booed, I’m good. I’m going to show it. I’m going to enjoy that.”
Marchand became the first player in NHL history to win five winner-take-all games against the same franchise, doing so against the Maple Leafs.
Maple Leafs Captain Calls Out Team
In Game 7, Toronto struggled, and captain Auston Matthews felt like they couldn’t get going.
After the loss, Matthews says Toronto had too many passengers early on, as the effort wasn’t there.
“I don’t know how it really got away from us,” Matthews said. “I think just not on the same page in different areas of the game, I felt like we were ready to play, I felt like we were in a good mindset. The first 10 minutes they came out strong, and the next 10 minutes I thought we controlled play, and then I just thought we had too many passengers throughout the rest of the game.”
Toronto matched the NHL record for the largest margin of defeat by a home team in a Game 7.
Analyst Urges Maple Leafs to ‘Overpay’ for Forward on Rival Team