Front-loaded contract, Bruins retention leaves Panthers paying Marchand roughly $125K
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Adding Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand will not come at a heavy cost to the Florida Panthers' bottom line this season.
The Panthers traded a conditional second-round pick to the rival Bruins on Friday to acquire Marchand, with Boston retaining half of Marchand's $6.125 million cap hit.
TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun points out that Marchand's expiring eight-year, $49 million contract was front-loaded and left just $4 million to be paid this season. With $3 million of that coming in signing bonus, LeBrun estimates the Panthers will pay Marchand just $125,000 for the remainder of the season after the retention by the Bruins.
The Panthers dipped heavily into the long-term injured reserve space freed by Matthew Tkachuk ahead of the deadline, spending almost $8.5 million of Tkachuk's $9.5 million cap hit. Panthers general manager Bill Zito said last month the team is hopeful Tkachuk will return for the playoffs.
It remains unclear how many games Marchand will pay for the Bruins before the playoffs with the veteran winger currently week-to-week with an upper-body injury. The conditional pick will upgrade to a first if Florida wins two rounds in the playoffs and Marchand plays in 50 per cent of their postseason games.
The 36-year-old winger has 21 goals and 47 points in 61 games with the Bruins this season.
Marchand was a staple in Boston, leading the team to their first Stanley Cup championship in 39 years in 2011. He was a core piece of a team that won three Presidents’ Trophies (2014, 2020, 2023), five division titles (2011, 2012, 2014, 2020, and 2023), and made three Stanley Cup Final appearances (2011, 2013, 2019).
“Brad is one of the most battle-hardened forwards in NHL history and a veteran who displays a relentless compete level whenever he steps onto the ice,” Zito said following the trade on Friday. “A champion and a proven leader in the locker room, Brad is the right fit for our club to compete for a Stanley Cup once again.”
Drafted 71st overall by the Bruins in 2006, Marchand has 422 goals and 976 points in 1,090 career games over 16 seasons in Boston.