Brandon Carlo makes his feelings known on facing former teammate Brad Marchand in crucial Panthers matchup

Toronto Maple Leafs’ defenseman Brandon Carlo opened up about facing his former Boston Bruins teammate Brad Marchand. Carlo and Marchand were traded to the Leafs and Florida Panthers this season.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the Leafs-Panthers game on Wednesday, Carlo was asked if he expects Marchand to engage verbally on the ice.

“Yeah, sure," Carlo said, via TSN. "It will be interesting to see what kind of dirt he has on me, but maybe he’ll leave it off to the wayside. I’m sure I’ll hear something; I’m not sure what it’ll be."

Marchand is considered one of the most prolific chirpers in the NHL. The veteran forward is notorious for getting in opposing players’ faces and playing mind games on the ice.

Carlo, who was teammates with Marchand for nine seasons, has seen "The Flea" be chirpy over the years. Being on the receiving end will be a new experience for the defenseman.

He has had a solid start to his Leafs’ career. Carlo is averaging over 18 minutes of ice time per game alongside Morgan Rielly.

“It’ll be fun,” Carlo said. “A lot of battles I’ve had with him in practice over the years…tried to go against each other in drills. You just don’t have that competitive level in practice so it’ll be a different level within the game. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

With 94 points from 74 games, Toronto is first in the Atlantic Division, with the Panthers trailing by two points in third place.

Bruins president opens up about “difficult” trades involving Brad Marchand, Brandon Carlo

In an interview with the Boston Globe, Bruins president Cam Neely talked about the tough decision the management made to trade Brad Marchand, Brandon Carlo and other players ahead of the deadline.

“It was difficult," Neely said on Thursday. "It was something we hadn’t had to do since I’ve been president. So normally we’re adding, not subtracting, so it was a little bit more challenging. Those guys have been around for quite some time and they’re really good people.”

Boston is on a nine-game losing streak that started on March 13, less than a week after Marchand and Carlo were moved. Selling veteran players this season has been an unpopular decision among fans, with some booing the front office at home games.

The Bruins will be back in action against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.