There were some expected moves made by Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney at the trade deadline back in March with Charlie Coyle, Brandon Carlo, and Justin Brazeau moved out. One name, however, that had been floated about and not many people actually thought that Boston’s GM would actually move was captain Brad Marchand.
He was sent to the Florida Panthers in exchange for a draft pick and he settled in with the Bruins postseason nemesis the last couple of seasons He has them one win away from another trip to the Eastern Conference Final. Marchand will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end and unless something changes, he’s a rental for the Panthers for the rest of the season.
There is always the chance that Marchand could return to the Black and Gold at season’s end, but at this point, it would be surprising if that were to happen. If he does hit free agency and doesn’t re-sign with Florida, there would be some suitors for the veteran forward. Lyle Richardson of Bleacher Report had a free agent destination for Boston’s former captain that would be a major gut-punch for Bruins fans.
Former Bruins captain Brad Marchand predicted the free agent landing spot would be a big gut-punch to Boston fans
If you think trading Marchand to the Panthers was a gut-punch for Boston fans, imagine him landing with the Detroit Red Wings in free agency, where Richardson predicted he would go. A team trying to get over the hump and into the playoffs, Marchand might be the spark that Detroit would need and pass the Bruins even more.
Detroit has had leadership the last couple of years, but Marchand going there would bring a new look to leadership for a team looking for it. Since returning from his injury late in the regular season for Florida, Marchand has been a very good two-way addition for the defending Stanley Cup champs, and he would bring that to the Motor City.
There is no doubt that a lot of Bruins fans will watch closely to see where Marchand ends up, and the two other more gut-punch landing spots would be the Montreal Canadiens or Toronto Maple Leafs. Who knows, maybe one of those two teams throws some money at him, but seeing Marchand go against the Black and Gold three or four times next season in a Detroit Red Wings uniform would be a big gut-punch.