Brad Marchand was traded to the Florida Panthers, the Boston Bruins announced Friday.
It was a late splash at the NHL trade deadline for the Panthers, who are gearing up for another run at the Stanley Cup.
In speaking with reporters in Boston after the deadline, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney confirmed the Bruins will receive a 2027 second-round choice that turns into a 2028 first-round pick if certain conditions are met. Sweeney added that a percentage of Marchand's participation in this year's playoffs will determine which round the pick falls in.
Marchand, the Bruins captain, was in the final months of an eight-year deal with Boston that carried a $6.125 million salary cap hit. He wanted to stay in Boston; however, negotiations with his camp and the Bruins reached a stalemate over terms, sources told ESPN. The Bruins were hesitant to give Marchand a two-year contract.
Marchand, who turns 37 in May, is sidelined with an upper-body injury that could keep him out until shortly before the playoffs. The Bruins are currently in Tampa, but Marchand remained in Boston, rehabbing. The winger had three surgeries this past summer -- on his elbow, groin and abdomen. He competed in every game for Team Canada at 4 Nations Face-Off and was effective for the Bruins, scoring 21 goals in 61 games this season.
"With his injury, it complicates things a bit," Sweeney said of Marchand. "And ultimately, once the gap was there that he wasn't going to sign, that's where the tipping point was. And I had to do what was right for the organization."
The defending Stanley Cup champions got even stronger over the past week, notably acquiring defenseman Seth Jones from Chicago. Florida also picked up a new backup goalie in Vitek Vanecek and a depth forward in Nico Sturm.
"His record speaks for itself," Panthers general manager Bill Zito said of Marchand. "We are thrilled to have him aboard and will see where it goes. We are focused on being the best team we can be."
The Bruins fell out of playoff contention -- in a season that already cost coach Jim Montgomery his job -- and became quite active Friday, also trading away veteran center Charlie Coyle to Colorado and Brandon Carlo to Toronto. Earlier, the team traded away Trent Frederic and Justin Brazeau.
A Stanley Cup champion with Boston in 2011, and a perennial top-liner who bridged the Bruins' transitions between several different coaching staffs, Marchand can play the tough minutes for the Panthers as they battle for first place in the Atlantic Division with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Marchand has scored at least 21 goals in the past 12 seasons, and he has hovered between 18 and 19 minutes per game on the ice in the past 10 years for the Bruins.