Panthers’ Marchand: ‘It’s unfortunate the fans ran Marner out’ of Toronto
Florida Panthers veteran Brad Marchand has been a thorn in the side of Toronto Maple Leafs fans for a very long time.
From his days with the Boston Bruins, who were perennial postseason bogeymen to the Leafs for seemingly a decade, to more recently with the Florida Panthers, who ousted Toronto in the second round of the playoffs last season, Marchand has always been the smirking, scoring, trash-talking villain the Leafs can never overcome.
Now that the Leafs have turned a page, so to speak, after nine consecutive postseason failures, by moving on from star winger Mitch Marner this past offseason, Marchand has found a way to needle Leafs Nation once again.
Ahead of Tuesday’s game in Toronto between the Panthers and Maple Leafs, Marchand spoke to the media and bemoaned Marner’s departure, citing Leafs fans themselves as the reason the he’s longer on the team.
“It’s unfortunate the fans ran Marner out of town,” Marchand said. “I mean that’s a huge impact on their group. He’s a point-per-game player, that hurts. They’re a great team.”
Marchand, on his Game 7 post-game comments about the Leafs and Toronto market: "It's unfortunate the fans ran Marner out of town. I mean that's a huge impact on their group. He's a point per game player, that hurts. They're a great team."
The Marner discourse has dominated Toronto hockey talk all offseason, and into the early part of this season. Will the Leafs be better off without him? Will captain Auston Matthews suffer for not having the playmaking winger by his side? Will the Leafs prove to be a tougher playoff team without relying on the diminutive Marner?
These questions are still waiting for definite answers, but it’s no surprise to hear Marchand throw in his two cents on the matter. The two-time Stanley Cup champion has started to make a habit of defending the Leafs and criticizing their fanbase.
“If you look at the heat this team catches, it’s really unfortunate,” Marchand said after the Panthers blew out the Leafs 6-1 in Game 7 of last season’s Eastern Conference semifinals.
It’s also no surprise Marchand is sticking up for Marner, as the two were teammates with Team Canada at last February’s 4 Nations Faceoff, and will be again at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.