Boston Bruins
New Details Reveal How Bruins’ Contract Talks With Marchand Fell Apart
Brad Marchand wanted to stay with the Boston Bruins. The Boston Bruins wanted to keep Brad Marchand.
And yet, here we are, and the once heart and soul of the Bruins, the captain, the last remaining member of the 2011 Stanley Cup championship team, is now heading to the Florida Panthers in exchange for a conditional second-round draft pick.
This was always a possibility, as Marchand and the Bruins approached the NHL trade deadline without an agreement on a contract extension, but it somehow still doesn’t seem real.
Marchand had been adamant from the very beginning of this season that he wanted to spend his entire career in Boston, and the Bruins, by their own admission, wanted that as well. So why isn’t he? Why were the two sides unable to find an agreement on something that they both wanted?
According to Sportsnet Insider Elliotte Friedman, the Bruins and Marchand were in agreement on a three-year contract extension but could bridge what he describes as “a sizeable gap” over average annual salary during their contract negotiations. Marchand was reportedly willing to compromise and lower his offer at the final hour, but the Bruins were not.
“Where I think this really went sideways was there was a point this week where Brad Marchand–who is currently injured and not in the lineup–asked for a face-to-face meeting with Bruins management,” Friedman said on the latest edition of Saturday Headlines. “I don’t know exactly when it was. I don’t know exactly who was there. But it did happen.
“In that meeting, Brad Marchand asked for a compromise. He said, ‘I will compromise. I will bend on some of my asks. I’m asking the Bruins to bend on some of their stances, and we’ll find a way to get this deal done.’ He wanted to stay as a Bruin, and it just didn’t happen. The Bruins had gone as far as they were willing to go. ”
On Saturday Headlines, @FriedgeHNIC provides an update on what went wrong with the Brad Marchand situation in Boston pic.twitter.com/drzasKuBrG
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 9, 2025
According to a report from Neil Buccigross of ESPN, the Bruins also offered Marchand a two-year deal with $3 million AAV. It’s not clear how much Marchand was asking for. He is currently in the final year of an eight-year contract that pays him $6.125 million per season.
Marchand will turn 37 in May and become an unrestricted free agent after this season, free to sign with any team. Is a reunion in Boston still possible?
“That’s probably a better question for Brad at this point, with the emotions he’s going through,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said shortly after trading Marchand. “I love Brad, but I said all along we’ve been trying to sign Brad all year long. We just had a gap there. I respect where he believes his market value is, and I hope he respects our position because he’s beloved here. I would never close the door.”
The Bruins aren’t closing the door on Marchand, but it appears they may have pushed him out of it.
