Brad Marchand to the Maple Leafs might really be happening.
Toronto got big help in its pursuit of the long-time star, with the Florida Panthers' latest decision suggesting Marchand might indeed head north.
The Panthers inked defenseman Aaron Ekblad to a big contract extension on Monday. And with the deal, Florida now has less than $5 million in salary cap room remaining.
Some projections have Marchand being worth up to $8 million per year.
The Panthers could load up a deal with incentives, but the Maple Leafs could just offer Marchand that whole thing.
It's not clear how many years any team wants to give Marchand, who is 37 years old.
But considering the heroic role he just played throughout the postseason for the Panthers en route to a Stanley Cup, he's probably worth whatever value a team wants to give him.
MORE: Maple Leafs trade for Mitch Marner's replacement in buy-low deal from Mammoth
The long-time Bruins star has 424 career NHL goals and 556 assists.
Whatever team signs Marchand will likely get to watch as he gets the last 20 points he needs to 1,000 career points in the NHL.
The Bruins and Mammoth are also expected to be in the picture with the Leafs, and both could also benefit from the Panthers' Ekblad decision.
Marchand might not be staying put after all.
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