It actually happened. The Boston Bruins traded captain Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers.
In return, the Bruins get a conditional 2027 second-round pick, which can turn into a first-round pick in 2027 or 2028 if the following conditions are met: The Panthers win two rounds in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs, and Marchand plays in at least 50% of Florida's playoff games.
That is an underwhelming return given that this trade deadline shaped up to be a clear seller's market. Bruins general manager Don Sweeney told reporters Friday evening that Marchand's recent upper-body injury complicated trade talks. The Bruins anticipated Marchand missing another three or four weeks of action.
Marchand, 36, is in the final year of his contract. While he and the Bruins had negotiated throughout this season on a potential extension, they were never able to reach an agreement.
According to sources and other reports, the major sticking point throughout the season was term, with the Bruins hoping to keep any deal short-term while Marchand wanted more security as he aims to play into his 40s. There could have been a difference on average annual value as well. Sweeney cited "a gap" between the two parties that they had been unable to bridge.
With the Bruins’ season not going the way they had hoped and a playoff spot continuing to slip out of reach, Sweeney and the front office reached a point where they needed to decide whether to move Marchand now or hang onto him in hopes of a breakthrough in negotiations, knowing that would come with the risk of losing Marchand for nothing after the season.
Clearly, the Bruins did not want to take that risk, so they decided to trade their captain, something this organization last did in 2005 with Joe Thornton.
The Bruins also traded away Charlie Coyle and Brandon Carlo on Friday, in addition to Trent Frederic and Justin Brazeau earlier in the week.
Marchand’s new team, the Panthers, ended the Bruins’ season each of the past two seasons. In an interesting twist, the Bruins will host the Panthers at TD Garden on Tuesday, although Marchand is not expected to be ready to play.
Sweeney said that he would never close the door on a potential reunion with Marchand in the offseason when he is a free agent, but added that it's probably a better question for Marchand at this point.
For more Bruins coverage, tune in to Sunday Skate with Scott McLaughlin, Andrew "Razor" Raycroft and Bridgette Proulx every Sunday 9-11 a.m. on WEEI 93.7 FM, WEEI.com, or the Audacy app.
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