For a while now, his name has been circulating as a potential trade candidate ahead of the 2025 deadline. Many fans viewed it as unlikely, and the broader hockey world largely agreed. However, just before the 3 o’clock deadline on Friday afternoon, the speculation became reality.
In a move that will be tough for Boston Bruins fans to process, GM Don Sweeney traded his captain to the Florida Panthers, as reported by NHL insider Elliotte Friedman.
Parting ways with Marchand marks the end of an era in Boston. Adding to the sting, he is joining a Panthers team that has been a source of heartbreak for the Bruins in recent years. Two seasons ago, Florida pulled off a shocking comeback from a 3-1 series deficit in the first round, eliminating Boston in overtime of Game 7—despite the Bruins having set an NHL record for wins and points that season.
Last year, after Boston battled past the Toronto Maple Leafs in a seven-game first-round series, Florida once again ended their playoff run, defeating them in six games in the second round before going on to win the Stanley Cup. Marchand will now share a locker room with Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett—two players Bruins fans have grown to dislike.
Marchand is currently sidelined after sustaining an upper-body injury in last Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, but he is expected to return in time for the most crucial stretch of the season—the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
During his time with the Bruins, Marchand became one of the franchise’s all-time greats, scoring 20 or more goals in 11 straight seasons, the longest such streak in team history. He leaves Boston with 422 goals and 976 points, having been a key member of the Bruins’ 2011 Stanley Cup-winning team.