Brad Marchand was at the center of one of the most surprising moves during the 2024-25 NHL season, when the Boston Bruins sent him to the Florida Panthers before the trade deadline. It proved to be yet another smart move by Bill Zito, with the veteran forward playing a key role in the Cats’ second straight Stanley Cup win.
While the sight of Marchand in a Panthers uniform was hard to believe at first, the left winger immediately settled in at his new team. In fact, the 37-year-old made a serious commitment to the organization after the 2025 Stanley Cup triumph, taking a team-friendly deal to stay in Florida for the next six years.
Marchand’s impact on the Panthers has been such that his time with the Bruins now looks like ancient history, even if he spent 16 NHL seasons in Boston. His departure from the TD Garden is still a tough one to swallow for people in Boston though. Bruins right winger David Pastrnak, for instance, recently admitted how tough it was to see him pack the bags.
And while watching his former teammate succeed made him happy, Pastrnak made it clear that he wasn’t excited to see a conference rival lift the Stanley Cup. In fact, the 29-year-old is warning Marchand that the Bruins will leave all feelings aside when they face him in the 2025-26 NHL season, vowing to give the Panthers veteran a hard time.
Brad Marchand #63 and David Pastrnak #88 of the Boston Bruins look on against the Chicago Blackhawks during the third period at the United Center on December 04, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.
Former Bruins teammate David Pastrnak warns Brad Marchand
“I wrote him congratulations on the Cup. We played a big part of our careers together, and our wives are also great friends,” Pastrnak said in an interview with Hokej.cz’s Dominik Dubovči, as translated by The Hockey News. “The bond is there, so of course it was difficult to see him leave. I’m not happy about the Stanley Cup for Florida, but I am happy for Marchand.
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“Then, when he signed a big contract, I kind of let him know that I would make the first game against us a little difficult for him. I am looking forward to it. We always had tough battles together, even in practice.”
Marchand’s highly anticipated return to Boston as a Panther
Pastrnak’s comments only gives NHL fans yet another reason to highlight October 21 on their calendars. That’s when the Panthers will play the Bruins on the road, in what could be Marchand’s first game in Boston since the trade.
Even though the Cats played the Bruins at the TD Garden only four days after landing Marchand last season, the player didn’t suit up on that occasion as he was still coming back from injury.
Pastrnak not replacing Marchand as Bruins captain yet
In the event he plays that night, Marchand is expected to receive a warm welcome, even is he’s in another sweater. A franchise legend who won the Stanley Cup in 2011, Marchand’s exit left a huge hole in Boston.
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As a matter of fact, the Bruins have yet to name a new captain. Since they don’t feel there’s a natural leader for that role yet, Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy will continue sharing their duties as alternate captains in the 2025-26 NHL season.
