When the Boston Bruins traded Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers on March 7, it opened a few eyes around the NHL. The move was reportedly done by general manager Don Sweeney, honoring his captain’s request to stay in the Eastern Conference and for family considerations.
At the end of the season, Marchand will hit free agency if he doesn’t sign with the Panthers before July 1. If he does, then what a shocker that would be. Anyway, the long-time Bruin will have no shortage of suitors for him. Bleacher Report listed five free-agent destinations for Marchand, and let’s just say, these would be some interesting landing spots.
Breaking down Bleacher Report's free-agent destinations for Brad Marchand
As no surprise, the Bruins were the top team listed. Whether or not that comes to fruition remains to be seen, but one thing seems clear: the door is not shut on that possibility. The only thing that seems to keep that from happening is money and whether the two sides can agree on a deal. So we’ll move one.
Two Atlantic Division foes, the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators, were listed. Detroit would make sense, as they could use another veteran to try and get the younger players over the top and into the postseason. As for the Senators, well, that would be a tough one to swallow. Boston has already given them their goal of the future in a move that going to haunt the Black and Gold for years, but now they would land Marchand and give them even more mojo going into next season and stay ahead of the Black and Gold in the standings.
Two other teams mentioned were the New Jersey Devils and the Carolina Hurricanes. The Devils are a team that would be looking to add second-line scoring, and a veteran like Marchand would fit that bill. As for Carolina, they struck out with Mikko Rantanen, but they are clearly looking to add some veterans who can produce, and Marchand would do that for the Hurricanes. The problem in Raleigh is that sometimes money gets in the way when the Canes try something, and it could here, too.
Where Marchand ends up is unsigned on July 1, and it is going to be fascinating to watch. It feels like a return to the Bruins is in play, but we will see.