Brad Marchand is not taking a summer off from what he loves to do: Be a little pest and poke at his peers.
He has grown quite a reputation over his 17-year career as one of the NHL's top agitators while also being extremely talented and good at everything else about hockey, too. Especially when it comes to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Marchand has become an expert at doing a little bit of weasel work to the centre of the hockey universe.
Maybe because he knows Leafs fans will really pay attention to what he does (this article proves that) or just because he loves doing it to Toronto specifically.
Regardless, Marchand has continued his duty through the offseason. We're in the middle of August and on a recent Instagram post from the NHL, highlighting some workout pictures that the players themselves have shared during their summers, Marchand was in the comments, poking at Leafs winger William Nylander.
Brad forever trying to troll the leafs pic.twitter.com/fI10E06ZsL
— Jen (@tavkniesnythews) August 18, 2026
"Don't hurt yourself with all that weight Will," Marchand commented as the perfect little troll he is.
While we can hate him while he's on the ice and sometimes hate just how good he is at agitating every single other fan base while off the ice, we do have to recognize just how good Marchand is at this. He's a natural.
Will Brad Marchand continue to bug the Leafs all next season?
Now, we're heading into a new season and it might be a little bit different. The 38-year-old winger had to go under the knife in a last-minute offseason surgery to address lingering lower-body issues, including a sports hernia and a hip problem he was dealing with. The timeline for his return is expected to be about two months, which does stretch into the beginning of the 2026-27 season.
So, we unfortunately might not get to see Marchand at full force. Well, not unfortunate because he clearly makes the Panthers better. He really is a big help to make everything work over there and that only hurts the Leafs' chances at getting a good start in the Atlantic Division standings.
The Leafs are not set to play the Panthers until December 3 and Marchand should be back before then. So, maybe he can continue his trolling on the ice and poke at Nylander again.
Or, maybe Nylander can score a hat trick and pretend to pump some iron in his goal celebration, just for a little bit of fun.
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