Brad Marchand Begins New Reality With Panthers

It didn’t seem real last Friday when the Boston Bruins made the shocking decision to trade Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers.

As unfathomable as it still seems, reality set in for the world and Marchand himself on Monday morning when he made his first appearance as a member of the Panthers in front of the Florida media.

“It would’ve been great to be able to stay and play out my career [in Boston], but this is an incredible opportunity and one that I’m really excited about,” Marchand said. “I feel rejuvenated coming here. They’re completely different mindsets from where we were as a team and the things we were going through. Now, coming in and seeing the path that these guys are on and the way that they’re preparing for the playoffs and the way their preparation starts in the mornings and the way they deal with things, it’s exciting.”

Marchand had spent 16 years playing for the Bruins, serving as the team’s captain for the last two. With his contract set to expire at the end of this season, Marchand remained adamant he wanted to stay in Boston. The Bruins wanted to keep him but on different terms.

“We had a conversation when things started that we weren’t going to make it public at all,” said Marchand. “Nothing good comes from these situations when you start talking about the details of the behind-the-scenes of how these things go down. We obviously were working on trying to get an extension done. Sweens said it the other day–there was a gap. We talked all the way up to, I think it was the night before the trade deadline. We didn’t talk the final day. We both felt that we had a position, and ultimately, we didn’t get it done.”

A report from Sportsnet Insider Elliotte Friedman over the weekend revealed that negotiations between Marchand and the Bruins fell through because of a disagreement over average annual salary. Marchand reportedly asked for an in-person meeting with Bruins management and was willing to compromise, but the Bruins were not.

Even still, Marchand made it clear he doesn’t harbor any animosity toward Bruins general manager Don Sweeney, president Cam Neely, or CEO and alternate governor Charlie Jacobs.

“I want to set the record straight–I don’t have any ill will toward the management group, toward Sweens, Camm, or Charlie,” Marchand said.  “I’ve had an incredible run in that organization, and I’m extremely proud of how things went there. It was very disappointing that things didn’t get done. I love the organization and I wanted to stay there, but at the end of the day, I also know that business is business. Every player has a shelf life, regardless of whether that’s when we want it to be or not. Sometimes, there are things that are out of our control that dictate situations. If we were in the playoff [picture], we probably would’ve had a much different conversation, and I know that. It’s something we had talked about previously. But we weren’t, and at that point, very tough decisions had to be made.”

READ MORE: Brad Marchand Feels Heavy Burden of Bruins Struggles 

The writing has been on the wall in Boston for a while now that a ninth straight playoff appearance is a longshot for the Bruins this year. Nevertheless, Marchand remained committed to the one team he had spent his entire career with up to that point. He was willing to sign on for a multi-year reclamation project that, in all likelihood, would last the duration of the final few years of his playing career.

But with Marchand soon to be 37 years old, it’s clear the Bruins were ready to turn the page now and not wait any longer.

“The one thing I respect–and I told Cam and Sweens this–is that they have a job to do, and they have to make the best decisions for the team,” said Marchand. “I completely understand where the decisions need to be made. Sometimes, they work against you, but that’s why I believe Sweens is one of, if not the best general managers in the league. I’ve watched him for a very long time excel at his job. For those who are in the organization and know the effort that he puts in every day and how hard he works, no one would question where his loyalty lies, and that is to do what is best for the team every day. When you’re part of that group, you feel it. Every guy has their day. It’s obviously not what you want to have happen, but I don’t hold that against him or the group. I’m beyond grateful for everything that organization has done for me.”

Marchand is now part of a new organization, living a new reality.

But he’s still the same person.

“I always had this attitude that you need to be grateful for every opportunity,” Marchand said. “The gratitude piece doesn’t get lost on me that it’s a privilege to be part of this league and to be able to play here and to be able to play a game that we love every day for a living. When the trade happened, I was disappointed and I was sad. But I’m still extremely grateful that I get to come to an incredible place and an incredible team, a very, very competitive team. That’s what you want. Ultimately, we chase the Stanley Cup. You want a chance to play for that every single year. To be part of a team that has that opportunity again this year.”

George Richards of Florida Hockey Now contributed to this story. 

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