Panthers hopeful Marchand can debut Friday against Utah
Published
Veteran forward Brad Marchand could make his Florida Panthers debut on Friday against the visiting Utah Hockey Club, according to head coach Paul Maurice.
Marchand, who was acquired from the Boston Bruins ahead of the trade deadline earlier this month, is scheduled to go through a full practice on Thursday with the hope he can play Friday.
The 36-year-old centre scored 21 goals and 26 assists over 61 games with the Bruins this season, but has hasn't played since March 1 with an upper-body injury.
Marchand was selected by the Bruins in the third-round of the 2006 NHL Draft, recording 422 goals and 554 assists over 1,090 career games and 16 seasons with the franchise. The native of Halifax has 56 goals and 82 assists in 157 career playoff games, helping Boston win the Stanley Cup in 2011, his second year in the NHL.
The defending champion Panthers are 43-25-3 on the season and tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the top seed in the Atlantic Division. Both the Panthers and Leafs have 11 games remaining in the regular season