Rob Gronkowski makes his feelings extremely clear about Brad Marchand's shocking Boston departure

The sports world is still digesting the fact that Brad Marchand is no longer a Boston Bruin.

After negotiations broke down, general manager Don Sweeney sent his captain to the rival Florida Panthers just in time before the 3 p.m. ET trade deadline struck.

Boston received a conditional 2027 second-round draft pick that could become a first-round pick in exchange for Marchand. The vast majority of Bruins fans are still not happy with the way the organization treated the former captain.

Former New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski gave his thoughts on the trade during the "Dudes On Dudes" podcast with Julian Edelman on Friday.

"Yeah, I saw that man," Gronkowski said. "Brad Marchand did so much for the city of Boston, too. He brought a championship there. And just a great dude overall. I met him just a few times when I was on the New England Patriots, just being up there, up in the city. What a great dude. Such a hockey dude, man."

"And it's so wild seeing those guys because you meet them, and you're like, 'Man, how is this guy a professional athlete?' What is he like, 5-foot-8? His skill set is just so phenomenal. Like, how quick he is. He is a fighter. He'll go after anyone. He doesn't back down."

Brad Marchand spent 16 seasons as a Boston Bruin, where he registered 976 points (422 goals, 554 assists) in 1,090 games and was a key part of the 2010-11 Stanley Cup championship.

Brad Marchand hasn't ruled out a return to Boston this offseason

A potential return to Boston as an unrestricted free agent this summer is not out of the cards for Brad Marchand. He is in the final season of an eight-year, $49,000,000 contract signed in 2016.

During Tuesday's media availability, he was asked whether he remains open to re-signing in Boston after the fallout and trading at the deadline.

"I mean, I can’t, I don’t know. I guess is how I would respond. I don’t know what the future brings in terms of how it plays out in the summertime. I know it didn’t come together now. Can things change down the road? Potentially, but that’s to be seen," Marchand said (7:15)

Marchand has had a productive season, recording 47 points (21 goals, 26 assists) in 61 games thus far. He's yet to make his Florida Panthers debut as he remains out of the lineup with an upper-body injury suffered on March 1.

Marchand and the team are hopeful that a return will come before the end of the regular season.