The Boston Bruins traded longtime franchise fixture Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers for a conditional second-round draft pick at Friday’s trade deadline.
The deal was a stunner as there wasn’t any speculation that the four-time All-Star and team captain would be dealt.
The draft pick will become a first-round pick in either 2027 or 2028 if the Panthers win two playoff rounds this season and Marchand plays in at least 50 percent of their playoff games. The Bruins are also retaining 50 percent of his remaining salary.
The 36-year-old winger is currently out with an upper-body injury. He last played March 1, and Boston general manager Don Sweeney revealed that Marchand’s timeline to return was three to four weeks. The regular season ends April 17.
“With his injury, it complicates things a bit,” Sweeney said. “And ultimately, once the gap was there that he wasn’t going to sign (a contract extension), that’s where the tipping point was. And I had to do what was right for the organization.”
Panthers general manager Bill Zito said, “We’re thrilled to have him aboard. We’ll see where it goes. He’s injured, we think it’s a couple of weeks. We’ll get our doctors on it. We’ve had some conversations about it, so we’re comfortable acquiring him and we’re excited about buckling down and moving forward to focus on being the best team we can be, to go as far as we can go. We’re thrilled.”
Marchand was in his 16th season with the Bruins and had stated he wanted to finish his career in Boston. But contract extension talks didn’t go well, and Marchand is set to be an unrestricted free agent following the season.
Sweeney said Marchand and the Bruins “had a gap” in their contract negotiations, and he wanted to give the veteran an opportunity elsewhere with Boston currently on the outside of the playoff picture.
Marchand ranks fourth in Bruins’ history in games played (1,090) and goals (422), fifth in points (976) and sixth in assists (554).
Marchand was a key figure when Boston won the Stanley Cup in 2011. He had 11 goals and eight assists in 25 postseason games. Overall, he has 56 goals and 138 points in 157 playoff games.
Marchand has 21 goals and 47 points in 61 games this season. It is his 12th straight 20-goal season and 14th overall. His career high for goals is 39 in 2016-17.
His career best of 100 points was achieved during the 2018-19 season.
The Panthers (81 points) have the second-most points in the Eastern Conference and are gearing up to defend their Stanley Cup title from last season.
–Field Level Media
