Brad Marchand found himself in uncharted territory.
The Boston Bruins captain was nearing unrestricted free agency on a team that was significantly underperforming.
The stress was getting to him.
`Situations I really hadn`t been in before … I wouldn`t say I dealt with them great,` Marchand said Tuesday. `The business side of it, I let it frustrate me.`
The veteran winger from Halifax couldn`t agree on a new contract with the Bruins — the only NHL franchise he had ever known — and was eventually traded to the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers as the Atlantic Division powerhouse bolstered their roster for another championship run.
The fit has been perfect.
Marchand, who won the Cup with Boston in 2011 and reached the final in both 2013 and 2019, is back in the NHL`s championship series wearing new colours.
The player, however, remains largely the same.
Known for his confrontational style, Marchand has reduced some of the antics as he`s matured, but the 37-year-old remains an aggravating presence for a group that will face the Edmonton Oilers for a second consecutive June — Game 1 is Wednesday at Rogers Place — after the Panthers won in a tough seven-game series approximately 11 and a half months ago.
`I learned about him that he`s a good guy,` Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov, who defeated Marchand`s Bruins in both the 2023 and 2024 playoffs, said with a smile during his NHL media day availability. `Playing against him … you`d rather have him on your side than playing against him. He`s brought a lot of experience to our team.`
Florida winger Matthew Tkachuk said Marchand joining the locker room couldn`t have been scripted any better.
`He`s the perfect Panther,` Tkachuk said. `He`s built for our team … he was so hard to play against. We`ve played a bunch before, but I still don`t think you get to see his skill set. Such a hard worker and an unbelievable teammate.`
