GOTTA SEE IT: Brad Marchand Debuts For Florida Panthers

Brad Marchand made his long-awaited debut for the Florida Panthers on Friday night, appearing in the first game of his NHL career for a team other than the Boston Bruins.

Brad Marchand is a Florida Panther 😼

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— NHL (@NHL) March 28, 2025

Florida acquired Marchand from Boston at the NHL trade deadline on March 7, but he hasn’t been able to play while recovering from an upper-body injury.

Marchand spent 16 years with the Bruins and served as their captain for the last two. With his contract set to expire after this season, Marchand remained adamant that he wanted to stay in Boston and finish his career where it started. However, he and the Bruins could not come to terms on a new contract, and Marchand requested a deal to the team NHL oddsmakers favor to win the Stanley Cup.

“We just had a gap,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said shortly following the deadline. “Deep down, we had been talking, I think, from Day 2 of free agency in terms of what his intentions were and where we were at. We always had a bit of a term gap. That took us a while, and we felt that we had been able to bridge that, but, again, a player is more than entitled to have an understanding of what they think their market value is and do what’s best for them.”

MUST READ: Brad Marchand Begins New Reality With Panthers

In exchange for Marchand, the Bruins received a conditional second-round pick in the 2025 NHL entry draft from Florida that becomes a first-round pick if the Panthers make it to the Eastern Conference Finals and Marchand plays in half of their playoff games.

Marchand skated alongside Sam Bennett and Mackie Samoskevich as the Panthers hosted the Utah Hockey Club at Amarant Bank Arena. Florida won 2-1 in overtime. Marchand provided the primary assist on the game-winning goal from Bennett, who was a betting favorite to score.

AN OT WINNER FOR THE BUDDIES

and Marchy's first point as a Cat!!! pic.twitter.com/Vua0pNvhwI

— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) March 29, 2025

Playing for any other team, let alone the Panthers, will surely be just as strange for Marchand as it will be for Bruins fans to see it.

As odd as it may be, though, it’s an opportunity that Marchand is relishing.

“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 shortly after being traded. “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.”

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