The Florida Panthers have added a massive piece to their lineup in their quest to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, trading for now-former Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand.
Marchand joins a battle-tested team that has proven their metal come playoff time the last two straight years and adds valuable championship experience of his own as a Cup winner himself with the Bruins in 2011.
During a news conference with media members, Panthers general manager Bill Zito explained that Marchand’s on-ice accomplishments speak for themselves.
Via Kate Engleson:
“I haven’t even spoken to him yet, his record speaks for itself,” he said. “We are thrilled to have him aboard and will see where it goes. We are focused on being the best team we can be.”
Shortly after the trade details were finalized, Zito released a statement praising Marchand’s professional resume, via NHL.com:
“Brad is one of the most battle-hardened forwards in NHL history and a veteran who displays a relentless compete level whenever he steps onto the ice,” said Zito. “A champion and a proven leader in the locker room, Brad is the right fit for our club to compete for a Stanley Cup once again.”
With Marchand, the Panthers will play the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night.
Former Bruins captain Brad Marchand joins the Panthers
Marchand joins the club that has knocked the Bruins out of the postseason in each of the last two years; Marchand infamously failed to score on a breakaway at the end of regulation in Game 5 of the 2023 first-round series.
Selected with the 71st overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft, Marchand got his feet wet at the NHL level by playing in 20 games for Boston during the 2009-10 campaign, but his first true season came a year later.
In his rookie year of 2010-11, he scored 21 goals in 77 games while adding another 11 goals and eight assists in the postseason, helping the Bruins win the Stanley Cup. After several years with the team, he was named the successor to Patrice Bergeron as team captain following his retirement in 2023.
Marchand has scored 422 goals with 554 assists in 1,090 career games.
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