Brad Marchand is one of the greatest players to ever skate for the Boston Bruins.
On Tuesday night, he returns to Boston as a visitor for the first time.
Marchand was traded last season from the Bruins to the Florida Panthers. Not long after, Marchand was a clutch playoff performer and helped the Panthers win a repeat Stanley Cup.
This offseason, Marchand signed to remain with the Panthers, and on Tuesday, Florida visits the Bruins.
Marchand won a Stanley Cup in Boston and had 976 career points in 1,090 games for the Bruins. He also holds the Bruins’ records for playoff goals and overtime goals.
He’ll likely get a strong reception back in Boston.
Why did the Bruins trade Brad Marchand to the Panthers?
The Boston Bruins traded Marchand in March to the Florida Panthers because of a financial disagreement.
ESPN’s Emily Kaplan outlined it soon after the deal was made:
- The Bruins upped their offer from two years to three years at Marchand’s request.
- Marchand wasn’t happy with the money offered within the contract.
Marchand was in the last year of an eight-year contract as the Bruins tried to sign him to an extension.
“When the Bruins determined they were going to trade Marchand, they worked to get him to a preferred destination,” Kaplan wrote. “According to sources, Marchand had family considerations and wanted to stay on the East Coast if he could not be in Boston. 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.”
The Bruins got a conditional pick in return for Marchand that turned into a first-round pick, so it’s not a bad return for a player on an expiring contract.
While it surely wasn’t easy to send Marchand away, both sides got something positive out of the deal.
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