NHL Rumors: Insider claims Brad Marchand was 'stunned & hurt' over Boston Bruins' trade decision despite face-to-face meeting

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman has shed more light on the Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand's shocking trade to the Florida Panthers. Marchand’s deadline-day move shocked Bruins fans and players, as the player and the organization's front office reportedly could not agree to the terms of a new contract.

Speaking on "Sportsnet’s Headlines" on Saturday, Friedman reported about events from an alleged meeting Marchand had with the Bruins management early this week.

“I don’t know exactly when it was," Friedman said on the show. (1:53) "I don’t know exactly who was there. But it did happen, and in that meeting Brad Marchand asked for a compromise. He said 'I will compromise, I will bend on some of my asks. I’m asking the Bruins to bend on some of their stance. And we’ll find a way to get this deal done,' because he wanted to stay as a Bruin.

“It just didn’t happen. The Bruins had gone as far as they were willing to go … I think (Marchand) was really stunned by that … I think it really hurt Marchand that the face-to-face meeting couldn’t get a deal done.”

Marchand missed the Bruins’ last two games before the trade deadline and is currently week-to-week with an upper-body injury. He was traded to the Panthers for a conditional second round pick in the 2027 NHL draft.

Before this, Friedman appeared on "NHL Now" on Friday and said he wasn’t surprised at the terms of the deal.

“I knew this was going to be a tough deal whoever got him (Marchand) because of his health,” Freidman said on the show. “I did have a couple of teams tell me that, because of Marchand’s injury right now, it was going to make it harder for there to be a big return. I know Bruins fans are probably hurt and upset about the return, but … I’m not surprised that that’s what it is.”

Bruins GM Don Sweeney explains why they traded Brad Marchand

The Bruins have emerged as major sellers in the trade market this season. Apart from Marchand, they also traded defenseman Brandon Carlo and forward Charlie Coyle. Bruins general manager Don Sweeney spoke to the media about trading Marchand.

"Just had a gap. Deep down, we had been talking — from day two, I think, of free agency in terms of what his intentions were and where we were at. And we always had a bit of a term gap that took us a while,” Sweeney said.

Marchand had spent 16 seasons at the Bruins and been part of the franchise’s Stanley Cup-winning 2011 team.