Brad Marchand explains what drew him to "dangerous" Panthers after spending 16 years with Bruins

Brad Marchand spoke to the media for the first time on Monday about joining the Florida Panthers after spending 16 seasons with the Boston Bruins. Boston traded Marchand to Florida for a conditional second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.

The pick could become a first-rounder if Florida wins two playoff rounds and Marchand plays in at least 50% of the games. Speaking about his trade, Brad Marchand said Florida’s strong team and recent success made them an easy choice.

“Obviously they’ve bounced the Bruins the last couple of years, and it has been pretty remarkable to see the growth they’ve had as a group the last few years." Marchand said, via NHL.com.

The Panthers defeated the Bruins in each of the last two seasons in the playoff rounds. They went to the Stanley Cup finals and faced the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2022-23 NHL season, but they lost that year.

In the 2023-24 NHL season, they again made it to the finals, and this time, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 in the Stanley Cup Finals series to lift the Cup for the first time in franchise history.

"I think throughout this year we played the team multiple times, and I remember just thinking like that’s the team to beat this year... the depth they had in their group, they have the experience, they know what it takes when they get in those tough situations, and that’s invaluable." Marchand said.

"They didn’t lose many guys and the guys they did were replaced with great players. I just looked at the group and that’s the team that has the ability to go all the way again." Marchand added.

Brad Marchand, 36, is in the final year of his contract and can become a free agent after this season. He is recovering from an upper-body injury and is expected to return soon.

"When you match the drive, experience, and the depth of the group, it’s a very dangerous combination. When things were coming up and it kind of writing was on the wall, this is absolutely the place I wanted to go.” Marchand said.

Florida Panthers GM is confident about acquiring Brad Marchand

Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito said Brad Marchand still has a lot to offer. Talking to the media on Friday, he expressed his confidence in acquiring Marchand before the trade deadline.

"We think he still has some gas in the tank," Zito said, talking about Marchand (via NHL.com). "He is a dynamic player; he's a multi-faceted whether it's his skill, his speed, his hockey sense, his will-to-win, his compete. … Really looking forward to adding him to our mix. I think he fits in."

The Panthers have a 40-21-3 record, and they are on a six-game winning streak. Florida leads the Atlantic Division and plays Boston on Tuesday.