Oil and water don’t mix. And neither do Brad Marchand and Paul Bissonnette, if their many chirp battles are to go by. But this new trade rumor may just be the thing that finally brings them together. Or maybe it’s one of those sagas that end with Bissonnette taking the L. Because Marchand is sending mixed signals, to be honest. And as far as the fans go, they are suspicious, because this rumor sounds a little too far fetched to be true. Or does it?

Marchand’s 8-year contract expires on July 31, 2025. But we have just seen what he did in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 10 goals and 10 assists in 23 games with a massive +17 rating, and that’s just the on-paper numbers. We are not even talking about the Hockey IQ he brings, the experience as a veteran, and his contributions off the puck.

A tweet shared by the NHL Rumour Report on June 21 has got people buzzing. “Nick Kypreos: Chances of Brad Marchand landing in Toronto “very good”; “I don’t know how he doesn’t end up a Maple Leaf” – Leafs Morning Take”. It’s almost impossible to think about – the player who has set a record for repeatedly knocking the Leafs out of the playoffs, might now join them?

Marchand himself, being Canadian, kind of makes it logical for the 2-time Stanley Cup winner to move back south of the border. And Marchand has been adding fuel to the rumor by sharing teasing updates on social media. NHL News shared on X what Brad Marchand has been up to. When the 37-year-old saw the “I don’t know how he doesn’t end up a Maple Leaf” update on Instagram, the Panthers winger couldn’t help but drop his oh so innocent comment: “Sh*t dawg …the people wanna see it???”

We all know how cheeky he is, and what name the hockey world has for him. Although the Maple Leafs would ignore all that to bring the guy in who would probably ask for an $8 million AAV and a 3-4 year contract.

But it’s the fans who are not buying it. And in a way, there’s evidence to back the fans’ stance.

Brad Marchand to Maple Leafs rumor ain’t fooling the fans

While the rumor would get some Maple Leafs fans dreaming about a Stanley Cup, this particular person was not ready to live in a dream world. ““Leafs Morning Take” all you need to see to know there’s no credibility here,” was his tweet in reply to the Marchand surely to Leafs Twitter update. Leafs Morning Take is a podcast that covers all news Toronto Maple Leafs, hosted by Jay Rosehill and Nick Alberga.

The podcast wants to bring the bitter truth wrapped in spicy, verbose language, but it seems like this one rumor is too good to be true for the fans. Maybe it’s also because we literally saw Brad Marchand saying he’s not leaving? Yes, the Panthers winger is in celebration mode, but in the B/R Open Ice Twitter update on June 21, he didn’t shy away from addressing the “Stay” chants from the fans. A simple answer, “I’m not leaving” as he showed 4 fingers. Logically, a fan commented, “He already said he wants to stay in Sunrise.”

And Marchand has even sung praises of how good it has been in Florida. Maybe this is where he signs a 4-year contract and eventually retires. If anything, fans are straightaway rejecting the rumor on face value because Nick Kypreos reported it. This fan went, “Move along guys. Nick Kypreos is a f*****g Leafs homer. Very low on the credibility chart”. A Toronto native, Kypreos had played 2 seasons at the Leafs before he had to take early retirement because of a concussion-related problem.

So, fans think his reporting may be biased. And also, the logic says the Toronto Maple Leafs can’t be the obvious choice. Like this fan noted, “Why would anyone pick Toronto with the Taxes , wake up .McDavid will end up in Tampa”. Oh, the tax thing has been a bone of contention, especially the state income tax, which has allowed Florida to attract quality players. And there’s a rumor that Connor McDavid may find his way to Florida, too.

That will be huge news. But no way are people seeing Marchand coming to the Leafs. One Leafs fan gave his honest opinion: “This is gonna take a while to compute in my head. He’s been an enemy for so long I don’t know how to accept this.” This is so true. Brad Marchand is the literal nemesis of the Leafs. He has the 2nd-highest playoff goals against the Leafs. He has won 5 winner-takes-all games against the Leafs, making him the first player to do it against the same franchise. Who can forget his Game 7 heroics on Toronto ice this year?

The Maple Leafs rumor doesn’t look too convincing. Let’s see how it plays out!