Once Brad Marchand realized he wasn’t going to finish the season with the Bruins, the star winger apparently knew where he wanted to go.
A “gap” in contract extension talks between Marchand and Boston led to the sides going their separate ways before Friday’s NHL trade deadline. The Bruins reportedly worked with the franchise legend to send him to an appealing destination, which proved to be Florida.
In a column published Saturday afternoon, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan outlined why joining the Panthers interested the 2011 Stanley Cup champion.
“According to sources, Marchand had family considerations and wanted to stay on the East Coast if he could not be in Boston,” Kaplan wrote. “The defending Stanley Cup champions were also an attractive destination because of their commitment to win again. Marchand’s former Bruins teammates from the 2011 Stanley Cup-winning team, Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton, now work in Florida’s front office.”
Marchand, who currently is dealing with an upper-body injury, certainly has a great opportunity in front of him in the Sunshine State. The Panthers entered Sunday with the fourth-highest point total in the entire league, and the vast majority of last season’s championship-winning group will be making another run for the Cup this spring.
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But from there, Marchand’s NHL future remains very uncertain.