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.

Brad Marchand’s Road Trip Debut With Florida Panthers Might Turn ‘Awkward’ for the Ex-Boston Star

Looks like Brad Marchand’s got a fresh road trip on the horizon, but this one’s going to feel a little different. It was only two days ago that the Florida Panthers made a blockbuster move for a longtime Boston Bruins captain in a Friday trade that strengthens the Panthers’ roster even further. Having played 16 seasons bleeding black and gold, Marchand is entering new waters with stars like Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, and Anton Lundell. The defending champions have just got even more aggressive and they are not relenting in their quest to retain their Atlantic Division title.

But yes. Coming back to Marchand’s road trip—that is going to come with some extra spice. The Florida Panthers insider, Hockey reporter David Dwork, went on X on March 10 to explain why Brad Marchand’s first roadie with his new team might be a bit off. As it happens, Marchand’s first road trip in a Panthers jersey is going to take him straight back to the city where his career started. Talk about a full-circle moment with a side of awkward.

As for Marchand? He’s keeping it real, saying, “It will be nice to go home…to see the guys and say goodbye. It will be weird to be there as an opposing team.” And yeah, weird might be an understatement. Sixteen years of wearing the ‘B’ with pride, countless battles, and now? He’s rolling in as the new guy in town. Safe to say, this ain’t your typical homecoming—it’s a trip packed with nostalgia, fresh starts, and maybe even a few what-ifs.

Next stop? Oh, just a little reunion with some old friends. The Florida Panthers will be coming to TD Garden on March 12 to faceoff against the team that Brad Marchand used to play for, the Boston Bruins. And if that is not enough heat, let us go back to January when these two sides last met–the showstopper was David Pastrnak who scored the tying goal in the power play and then the winner in the last second of overtime to give the Bruins a 4-3 victory at the Amerant Bank Arena. Yeah… you know Florida’s got that one circled in red.

But while Marchand’s gearing up to say his on-ice goodbyes to his Bruins brothers, he has already inked his departure from the Bruins and the fans. The fans who cheered for him, booed for him, and enjoyed all the turmoil he created – they received their send-off already. Now? It’s time for No. 63 to lace up, hit the ice, and face the music—because this homecoming? It’s about to be one for the books.

Brad Marchand says goodbye to the fans!

When the trade of Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers was made official, it was quite apparent that this move was going to be a charged affair. Sixteen years. One city. One team. One legacy. And then–just like that—it was over. But hey, just because he’s swapping jerseys doesn’t mean he’s leaving behind the fans who rocked with him through it all. And guess what? Instead of going through the Bruins’ front office to bid his farewells, Marchand did it directly to the fans.

Brad did not go to the press conference or release a carefully crafted statement; instead, he took an ad in the Boston Globe on March 10, and wrote what was in his heart. “We are Bostonians now and forever.” Yeah, that one hits deep. He thanked the city for welcoming a young boy who once had a dream to play in the NHL and for allowing him to live that dream and for allowing him to not only grow as a hockey player, but as a man, as a husband, and as a father. “I have become a husband and a father to a beautiful family. My family is now your family: We are Bostonians now and forever.”

Brad Marchand arrived in Boston in 2006 and played his first NHL game in 2009 and became one of the most talented players in the history of the Bruins. The last remaining link to their Stanley Cup win. And now? He is wearing Panthers uniform and is going straight to the TD Garden to face his former team. Talk about a reunion with a side of drama.