March 28, 2025, 11:49am
Brad Marchand made his Florida debut.
The Panthers had Merchand, who has not played in a match against Florida since it was bought out in trade with Boston three weeks ago.
During the warm-up, greeted by many fans around the ice and slamming the pack into the stands towards one group as a souvenir, Marchand received the loud reception of one of the Florida skaters when the opening unit was announced.
For the first time in the 1,091 NHL game, at 1,248 when adding a playoff contest, Merchand takes ice into something other than the Bruins sweater. The plan is for Merchand to jump into the second line of Florida with Sam Bennett and Mackie Samoskevich.
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“It was so much fun,” Samoskevich said of playing with Merchand. “He’s a very good player. He’s very silky. When he has the puck, he feels like he’s looking at you – he’s looking at the back of his head. It’s so fun. He’s excited about the future with him.
Marchand has scored 21 goals and 26 assists in 61 games this season against the Bruins. Panthers manager Paul Maurice said when the Merchand trade was closed it would help Florida fill in what they needed in the playoff run and their quest to win the second straight Stanley Cup.
“He had an incredible career,” Maurice said. “He’s a Stanley Cup champion, 1,000 games, 1,000 penalty minutes, lots of points. I don’t want to see it all in one game. …I know how persistent this guy is, how physical he is, how difficult he is, and how good his skill level is. And you start to realize how good his skill level is.”
It might have been strange at first. The former Bruins captain wore Florida colours after the team wore tough playoff battles (both won by the Panthers) in 2023 and 2024.
“He brings a lot of energy into the locker room and a lot of competition on the ice,” Panthers defender Gas Falling said. “A huge veteran that’s getting bigger for us.”
