Brad Marchand chirps back at Evan Rodrigues' 'rat' dig following his first goal for Panthers

Brad Marchand is starting to find his footing as a member of the Florida Panthers.

In his eighth game with the team, Marchand finally registered his first goal as a Panther, on a nice move chipping the puck into the top corner past Cam Talbot. He finished the night with one goal and a +1 rating in 15:08 of action in their 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings.

The longtime Boston Bruin has now produced three points (one goal, two assists) through eight games in Florida, though two of those points have come in the last two games. Not only is Marchand getting more comfortable on the ice, but he also seems to be fitting in quite nicely in the locker room.

Forward Evan Rodrigues made a playful dig after the game, calling Marchand a 'rat' when asked about his goal, and of course, there was a response. Sportsnet shared the clip on X (formerly Twitter) of Rodrigues and Marchand's hilarious back-and-forth during their postgame media availabilities.

"He's not wrong, I've hated him. We've skated together in the summer, I've hated him for a long time, so that's not gonna change now. But uh, he's a scumbag too," Marchand said.

Brad Marchand is the definition of a player you hate to play against, but absolutely love to have on your side, as evident upon moving from Boston to the rival Florida Panthers. The 36-year-old is now up to 50 points (22 goals, 28 assists) through 69 total games on the campaign.

Brad Marchand is enjoying his time in Florida

Now that the shock of leaving Boston has begun to wear off, Brad Marchand is embracing life as a Florida Panther.

Panthers reporter Jameson Olive shared on X some of what Marchand had to say after scoring his first goal as a Cat on Friday night.

"I'm just enjoying this whole journey. It's such a unique experience for myself," Marchand said.

He certainly has looked to be enjoying himself over the last several games. It will be fascinating to see how the rest of this season plays out for the pending UFA, who is in the final season of an eight-year, $49,000,000 contract signed with the Bruins back in 2016.

Marchand and the Panthers will return to action on Saturday night when they host the Buffalo Sabres. The puck drops at 6 p.m. EDT at Amerant Bank Arena.