TORONTO — In an alternate timeline, Brad Marchand might be on the other side for Tuesday’s game between the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Many interpreted the veteran forward’s comments Tuesday about his free-agent decision last summer as straight trolling — usually a safe assumption with Marchand — but to be sure, there was legitimate smoke around the possibility of him jumping to the Leafs on July 1.

League sources familiar with the situation say that Toronto even passed on the possibility of acquiring another player in a June trade in order to protect the cap space that would have been needed to bring in Marchand. They were ready to be aggressive if the 37-year-old winger hit the open market coming off a playoffs in which he finished second in Conn Smythe Trophy voting and was part of a team that knocked the Leafs out of the playoffs for the fifth time in his career.

As Marchand told reporters before Tuesday’s game, he had started thinking about potential offseason landing spots last spring because he didn’t think the Panthers would be able to squeeze him in under the salary cap while also taking care of younger teammates Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad before free agency.

It was no coincidence that Marchand dropped an Easter egg in May by revealing that the Leafs were his childhood team before leaving Scotiabank Arena following a 6-1 Panthers win in Game 7.

“It was between Florida and Toronto of where I was going to go,” Marchand confirmed Tuesday. “I mean, ultimately, I never even thought it was even possible to re-sign in Florida. I really didn’t. Just with the guys that we had up and stuff like that. Toronto, I was serious about what I said, with where they’re at. As a group, the way that they’re competing now — they compete the right way, which is what they kind of had to get over that hurdle.”

It was only in the days following Florida’s second consecutive Stanley Cup victory that it became clear there was a path to re-sign Marchand. The Panthers had to get creative with a $31.5 million, six-year contract that runs through his 43rd birthday.

They certainly have no buyer’s remorse, with Marchand helping them stay afloat while Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov recover from significant injuries. He had a team-leading 46 points through 40 games and was named to Team Canada’s roster for the Milan-Cortina Olympics last week.

Of course, Marchand being who he is, couldn’t resist getting in a dig at the Leafs even while discussing how appealing they were to him as a potential destination to play.

“It’s unfortunate the fans ran (Mitch) Marner out of town,” said Marchand, referring to Marner’s June 30 departure to the Vegas Golden Knights. “That’s a huge impact on their group. He’s a point-a-game player. Like, that hurts.”

But the longtime Boston Bruin also referred to the Leafs as “a great team, great organization.”

The biggest what-if for the Leafs might actually date back to last year’s trade deadline, when they chose not to pursue Marchand. Not only was he out injured at that time and in the middle of a down season, but they were also focused on upgrades at center and right defense at that time and in possession of limited capital to make additional moves.

As a result, they acquired Marchand’s former teammate, Brandon Carlo, from the Bruins for prospect Fraser Minten and a 2026 first-round pick. They also got Scott Laughton from the Philadelphia Flyers for another first-rounder and prospect Nikita Grebenkin — assets they conceivably could have used to land Marchand instead.

Needless to say, the player doesn’t have any regrets about the way things played out after reviving his career in South Florida and winning a second Stanley Cup.

Still, he seems to keep a close eye on the Leafs.

“They just seem like they’ve become a hard team to play against,” Marchand said. “That was a much tougher series than I think maybe we thought it was going to be (last spring). They competed very hard.”