NHL fans were shocked on Friday to see the face of the Boston Bruins, forward Brad Marchand, traded to the Florida Panthers ahead of the league's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline.
The 36-year-old was the last of the mighty triumvirate that included himself, Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara. Boston's game on Saturday was the first since 2002 in which the team's roster did not feature at least one of those three stars.
It was especially surprising to see a superstar like Marchand shipped off to a division rival like the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers. And it turns out that the reasoning behind it was downright tragic.
Marchand and Boston were reportedly in the midst of contract extension negotiations, with the two parties supposedly on the same page about term (three years) but still far apart on money. According to Sportsnet insider Elliott Friedman, Marchand and team brass met face-to-face at some point ahead of Friday's deadline to discuss a compromise.
On Saturday Headlines, @FriedgeHNIC provides an update on what went wrong with the Brad Marchand situation in Boston pic.twitter.com/drzasKuBrG
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 9, 2025
"I don't think [Marchand] was being asked to take a pay cut or anything like that but I do think it was a sizeable gap that they obviously could not bridge," Friedman explained on Saturday. "I think it really hurt Marchand that the face-to-face meeting couldn't get a deal done."
Friedman noted the 2011 Stanley Cup Champion "wanted to stay as a Bruin" but disagreements on average annual value (AAV) for the extension caused things to go sideways.
Bruins bungled Marchand negotiations will hurt this season but could eventually work in their favor
Boston general manager Don Sweeney got a conditional second-round draft pick in exchange for Marchand. He'll be rooting for Florida in the playoffs, because if the team advances to the Eastern Conference Finals and Marchand plays at least half of its postseason games, that pick becomes a first rounder.
Sweeney better also hope there's no hard feelings between him and Marchand once the season is over. If he reaches free agency, Marchand is expected to at least explore a return to Boston in the offseason.
Marchand? I don't see why not. The Bruins offered two years around 3 million I'm told. He wanted 3 years. Or a little more money for 2 years. I think he deserves it. He's been a good, underpaid soldier always in shape. So if the Bruins end up with a 1 and Marchand back? Good deal https://t.co/Ra0pN4VlUA
— BucciOT.Com (@Buccigross) March 8, 2025
Boston is seventh in the Atlantic Division with 66 points and wasn't entirely out of the Wild Card race at the time of the trade deadline. But Sweeney clearly read the writing on the wall and decided to get something in return for a major asset.
While many fans saw the Marchand trade as Boston waving the white flag on the season and blowing up what was once a promising squad (President's Trophy winners in 2022-23), Sweeney might actually make out like a bandit in the end.
The worst-case scenario is that Marchand doesn't return and Sweeney has a second-round pick to play with this summer. Despite failing in negotiations, he may have made the best business decision possible given the circumstances.