Imagine combining Marchand’s particular combination of feistiness and skill with that of Bennett and Tkachuk, who Zito hopes will be back for the playoffs. That’s on top of Florida’s already playoff-proven group of forwards, which includes captain Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundell and Evan Rodrigues.
Adding Marchand, who has plenty left at 36 years old, makes them even more formidable.
Marchand had 47 points (21 goals, 26 assists) in 61 games with Boston this season. A Stanley Cup champion with the Bruins in 2011, Marchand has 138 points (56 goals, 82 assists) in 157 career playoff games.
“I think he fits in,” Zito said. “We have lots of guys that can move around even within a game, so it will be fun to see how it all sorts out and where different players end up ultimately, and I suspect we’ll see different schemes.”
The Panthers were on a mission to win the Cup last season after losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games in the Final in 2023. And acquiring forwards Vladimir Tarasenko and Kyle Okposo, each a rental player on an expiring contract, before the trade deadline helped them to get over that hump and defeat the Edmonton Oilers in seven games in the Final.
Florida has had a similar focus since the start of this season. Although the Panthers (39-21-3) have had some ups and downs, they are leading the Atlantic Division again and look primed for another deep postseason run.
Despite that, the Panthers further solidified their depth by acquiring forward Nico Sturm (Thursday) and goalie Vitek Vanecek (Wednesday) in separate trades with the San Jose Sharks, as well as goalie Kaapo Kahkonen from the Winnipeg Jets (Thursday). But Marchand and Jones, who has five seasons remaining on an eight-year, $76 million contract ($9.5 million AAV), have the potential to be difference-makers.
“A player like [Marchand], a player like Seth, too, when these players become available and you have that need or that fit with your group, you pursue it in my mind,” Zito said. “And we’re thrilled.”
NHL.com independent correspondent George Richards contributed to this report