Heading into the Stanley Cup playoffs, Florida Panthers left winger Brad Marchand was having a decent-enough year – not all-star caliber but not bad, all things considered.
However, Marchand has been an absolute beast in the playoffs, posting 10 goals – including three game-winners – and 20 points in 22 games. Thanks in part to his efforts, the Panthers are one win away from defending the Stanley Cup.
Marchand and Panthers teammate Sam Bennett are leading candidates to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs’ most valuable player. Perhaps more importantly, Marchand has provided himself with an opportunity for an incredible financial raise next season.
This year, the 37-year-old earned $6.125 million. But given how dynamic he’s been in the playoffs, Marchand deserves at least $8 million per year on his next deal, potentially on a three-year contract extension.
Don’t kid yourself – there shouldn’t be only one team prepared to offer Marchand that much. The Panthers should go there. If we were GMs of the Toronto Maple Leafs or Boston Bruins, we would also pay up.
That’s just the Atlantic Division. You can bet there are other teams in the league who want Marchand’s playoff pedigree, hard-nosed style and leadership in their dressing room next season and beyond, even if he is closer to 40 years old than 30.
Consequently, Marchand will have his pick of the litter among multiple teams this summer. And in the bidding war that’s coming, Marchand could even sign for higher. Once Bennett and Leafs right winger Mitch Marner are off the free-agent market, there will be precious few veterans with Marchand’s experience and dogged determination to win. That’s what he’s shown in the playoffs, and that’s why he’s going to be so valued in free agency.
It’s quite something to see Marchand’s monetary value rise in real time from period to period and game to game. He’s been so clutch and so dynamic that he’s carved out a special place in the free-agent market.
While his game may start to fall off in the coming years, he’s fortunate enough to be a UFA in a year where the talent pool isn’t especially deep. If all his stars line up, he could be swimming in money in what could be his final NHL contract.
Thus, Marchand and his agent can sit back and let the offers pile in and decide for themselves what market is best for him, both monetarily and competitively. While some intangibles will come into play, the businessman in Marchand may simply choose to go with the team that steps up and ponies up the most cash. And you couldn’t blame him for doing so after taking relative discounts with the Bruins for years. He’s made himself into an asset that teams value in the extreme, and he will be paid like it.
In a zero-sum industry where wins matter above all else, Marchand’s tremendous impact on the bottom line will certainly provide him a lucrative conclusion to what is now likely a Hockey Hall of Fame career.
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