The weirdness of it all was palpable.
The Florida Panthers, who’d gone from an afterthought to a hated Bruin rival in just two years, took to the Garden ice for their morning skate on Tuesday. Joining them for the first time was the former Bruin captain, Brad Marchand.
The shock of the trade itself may be wearing off for everybody, but seeing Marchand in the Panthers’ colors was one more jolt to the system.
After his inaugural twirl, the injured Marchand (he’s expected to miss at least a couple more weeks) sat and chatted with Boston reporters and opened a vein for a half hour for the second straight day, having spoken with media in Florida on Monday. He again reiterated that there was no ill will towards the only NHL club, spoke near-tearfully in his support of Bruin management/ownership and love for the city. There was disappointment a deal could not be struck, but an understanding of the desire to restructure the team around the young core that includes David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman.
“Yeah, I would have loved and it would have been incredible to have that fairy tale ending but they’re doing what’s right for the guys in the room. They can’t choose one guy over the 20 guys (in the room) and, frankly, the millions of people that support the team,” said Marchand.
When the subject of his future beyond this season came up, Marchand gave strong hints that the idea of him return was a long shot. His family, including his three-year-old daughter, plans to remain in Boston for the rest of the season.
“The biggest change will be next year,” said Marchand. “Obviously I’ll be away for a little while (this season) but they’ll be able to travel back and forth on spring breaks and long weekends. But I think the biggest change is next year.”
When asked if the Bruins chapter of his life is now closed, however, the former captain was not definitive.
“I don’t know what the future in terms of how it plays out in the summer time.. I know it didn’t come together now. Can things change down the road? Potentially. But that’s to be seen,” said Marchand. “I’m sure we’ll have a conversation down the road but I don’t know where that goes. Obviously I would still….it doesn’t change my love for the city and the will to want to be here will never change. I don’t think it will ever change.”
How far apart were they? In the latest dribs and drabs of information coming out, former NHLer Paul Bissonnette said on his popular podcast Spitttin’ Chiclets that Marchand’s camp was looking for $7.5 million for three years and GM Don Sweeney would not budge from Marchand’s current cap hit of just over $6 million, even after Marchand said he’d be willing to split the difference.
To some, that may sound like Sweeney taking an intransigent approach to a pillar of the organization for a decade and a half. But while we’ve been firmly in the camp that would have liked to have seen Marchand signed to help ease the team into the next era – the returns on Trent Frederic, Justin Brazeau, Charlie Coyle and Brandon Carlo were more than enough for a retool – there are two good arguments for forging ahead with new blood that are currently in the NHL.
Last summer, the Tampa Bay Lightning decided not to meet the contract ask of their captain Steven Stamkos, instead focusing on signing Jake Guentzel. As painful as that was, the Bolts have flourished and are still in the hunt for the Atlantic Division.
On the flipside, the Pittsburgh Penguins have remained loyal to their estimable triumvirate of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. All three remain good – in the case of Crosby, great — players, but the Penguins are now stuck in the mud. They are currently in 27th place in the 32-team NHL and are set to miss the playoffs for the third straight years.
Listening to Marchand talk, it sounds like, if he hasn’t completely ripped the black and gold band aid off, he’s well into the process of it. Whether he’ll get what he was looking for from the Bruins on the open market remains to be seen. That will most likely depend on his playoff performance. The good news for him is the cap is going up steeply over the next three years. But the feeling here is that Marchand, given his stature within the organization and leadership, was more valuable to the Bruins than any other team.
When asked what he’d be looking for in a new hockey home, Marchand talked about playing for a contender (that probably wouldn’t help the Bruins) but that he would be listening to his family (which could).
“I’m sure my family will think about it a lot of the next little while. I think there’s a lot of different things. You want to try to win. That’s easier right now because there are so many good teams and so many teams that could be good over the next few years,” said Marchand. “I don’t know. There are a lot of different things that I would look at. The term was the biggest thing for me, always. That’s probably first and foremost. After that, a lot of things will probably come in to play but that’s going to be a much larger discussion with the family…I care more about how they feel in this moment than I do…they’re going to bear a lot of the load on where we’re at and relocating and their day to day. It’ll be a lot about where they want to be and the things they’re looking for. Right now, the only thing I’m worried about is the hopefully long run that we’re going to try and go on this year.”
When asked about the leadership capabilities of Pastrnak and McAvoy, the two letter wearers he’s leaving behind, Marchand sounded like a man passing the torch as he envisioned them doing what Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron did for the organization.
“They’ve been around, they’ve seen it, the way Z and Bergy built that culture and what’s expected every day,” said Marchand. “I have complete faith in those guys to carry on that culture and legacy and continue to add to it, not just carry it. You’ve got to leave it better than you found it. That’s one thing that, with especially the term those guys are on and how young they are, I think they have a great opportunity to carve their own path and build a legacy that they’re excited about and lead the way that they want to.”
While Marchand, like Sweeney, left the door open for a return, it sure sounds like his Bruins’ story is complete. And four days after the trade, it still feels very weird.