Brad Marchand and the Florida Panthers are going through a rough patch early in the 2025-26 NHL season. Their frustrations erupted during the 3-0 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, with Marchand losing his head against an opponent and eventually getting fined for it.
On Sunday, the official X (formerly known as Twitter) account for the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Marchand is getting the maximum allowable fine under the Collective Bargaining Agreement for his actions against the Sabres:
“Florida’s Brad Marchand has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for unsportsmanlike conduct for his actions during yesterday’s game against Buffalo.“
NHL fans not satisfied with the fine on Marchand
The NHL‘s reaction didn’t seem harsh enough for some fans, who complained in the comments section of the post calling for a bigger punishment. “Does he still have more disciplines than games suspended? I thought history was supposed to be a part of this?,” a user wrote.
Brad Marchand at Amerant Bank Arena on October 07, 2025 in Sunrise, Florida.
“What a joke. He puts the clown suit back on and takes a helmet to the penalty box to tear it apart? Game misconduct. But he’s a Panther now, so whatever…,” another user complained. Others were ironic. “Wow, that’ll learn him,” a user replied. “That’ll show him…not like he has a history or anything,” another user wrote, being sarcastic.
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How player fines work in the NHL
When it comes to player fines, the CBA states they can be fined up to 50% of their daily salary, with the maximum capped at $10,000 for a first offense and $15,000 for repeat offenses within 12 months.
“NHL fines are laughable. If the league and NHLPA want fines to be a deterrent then they have to be based on wage. First fine, 5 percent of your salary. Second 10 percent and so on…something like that. 5 grand is nothing to these guys. If fines don’t hurt, they have no effect,” a user complained.
Marchand is currently under a six-year, $31.5 million contract with the Panthers signed during the offseason, in a deal worth an average annual value (AAV) of $5.25 million. This fine is deducting money from that deal, but at least it’s not forcing Marchand to miss games.
And that’s exactly what many fans, especially from Buffalo, are complaining about. “This should have been at least a game. The actions he undertook have no place in the game,” a user commented on X.
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The reason Marchand was punished after loss to Sabres
For those who need context, the NHL’s fine on Marchand is related to a heated moment that occurred during the second period of the Panthers’ loss in Buffalo. With Florida trailing 1-0, tempers flared after Marchand was pushed from behind by Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin.
The Sabres were in control of the puck when Marchand tripped and jumped on Dahlin, throwing punches at his opponent while the Swedish was down. Other players and the referees immediately stepped in, but it didn’t end there.
Marchand still had Dahlin’s helmet when he went to the penalty box, where he started to rip the straps off the helmet before throwing it back to the ice. The veteran star didn’t get a penalty for the helmet but still had to spend four minutes away, two for interference and two for roughing.
And it took a toll on the Cats, as the Sabres capitalized on the power play to take a two-goal lead, paving the way for a comfortable 3-0 victory. This only deepened the Panthers’ current crisis in the 2025-26 NHL season.
Panthers struggling after strong start
The back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champions are in a four-game losing streak, which is starting to worry the Panthers after initially winning their first three games of the campaign.
Injuries are certainly putting Florida in a challenging situation, with multiple players joining stars Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk on the sidelines. Now’s when they need Marchand the most, so if the veteran can’t control his temper, the Panthers might be in trouble.
