"Going to be nuts" – Elliotte Friedman reacts to surreal sight of Brad Marchand in Panthers jersey ahead of debut against Utah

Brad Marchand is set to debut for the Florida Panthers on Friday against the Utah Hockey Club. Marchand was traded from Boston to Florida on Mar. 7 for a conditional 2027 second-round pick. He has been recovering from an upper-body injury and has not played since the trade. Before the move, he had 21 goals and 26 assists in 61 games with Boston this season.

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman spoke about it on the "32 Thoughts" podcast. He said it would be strange to see Marchand in a Panthers jersey.

"The stall, there's the practice jersey, there's the hat for the press conference, but the uniform that's going to be nuts. Yes, seeing him in that uniform," Friedman said. (37:30)

Co-host Kyle Bukaskas said that on Friday, Marchand practiced online with Sam Bennett and Mackie Samoskevich on Thursday.

Friedman joked that Utah players must be frustrated about facing Marchand in his first game with Florida. He said it could be worse for them if Matthew Tkachuk were on Marchand’s line instead of Samoskevich.

"The only thing that could make it more annoying is it being Tkachuck instead of Samoskevich," Friedman said. "Like, that's, I like that Samoskevich which, he's a good player. Yeah, I said a good deal. Yeah, really good player. That's, that's going to be a pain those Utah guys. They've got to be sitting there saying, Oh, great. Who's making his debut against us? He's going to be off the charts, irascible in that game."

Marchand spent his 16-year career with the Bruins, scoring 422 goals and 976 points in 1,090 games. He has been Boston’s captain since 2023.

Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice talked about Brad Marchand's debut

Utah (32-29-11) has lost two straight games and struggled in its last match against Tampa Bay, losing 8–0. The team's starting goalie, Karel Vejmelka, was pulled after allowing four goals.

Panthers coach Paul Maurice said they expect him to play but will decide after warmups.

"We'll get him through warmups and see," Maurice said on Friday, via Reuters. "but he's healed past that. We expect him to play."

Florida Panthers (43-25-3) compete for the Atlantic Division title with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning. They are one point behind Toronto and tied with Tampa Bay. Marchand’s addition could help Florida in its playoff push.