“He wanted to stay as a Bruin”: NHL insider revealed Brad Marchand was heartbroken by the Bruins trade.

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Elliotte Friedman, an NHL insider, has revealed that Boston Bruins former captain Brad Marchand was traded to the Florida Panthers on a deadline-day, as the player and the Panthers’ front office could not agree on a new contract. Friedman reported on an alleged meeting between Marchand and Bruins management earlier this week on “Sportsnet’s Headlines.”

Elliotte Friedman on Brad Marchand’s trade

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman has given some more information on the shocking trade that saw Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand traded to the Florida Panthers. The shocking deadline-day deal came as a shock to both fans and teammates, as talks between Marchand and the front office of the Bruins had reportedly soured on contract terms.

On Saturday’s Headlines on Sportsnet, Friedman broke new information on the situation, including some from a purported meeting between Marchand and Boston’s management during the week. His sources said that talks between the two parties did not result in an agreement, which resulted in the blockbuster trade that nobody expected.

Marchand, the team’s leader, was the favorite in Boston. His loss signifies the closure of an era, with his fans and critics wondering what occurred in negotiations gone wrong and where the team and player go from here.

“I don’t know exactly when it was,” Friedman said on the show. “I don’t know exactly who was there. But it did happen, and in that meeting Brad Marchand asked for a compromise. He said ‘I will compromise, I will bend on some of my asks. I’m asking the Bruins to bend on some of their stance. And we’ll find a way to get this deal done,’ because he wanted to stay as a Bruin.”
He further added, “It just didn’t happen. The Bruins had gone as far as they were willing to go … I think (Marchand) was really stunned by that … I think it really hurt Marchand that the face-to-face meeting couldn’t get a deal done.”

Marchand, who missed the Bruins’ last two games, is currently sidelined with an upper-body injury. He was traded to the Panthers for a conditional second round pick in the 2027 NHL draft. Friedman confirmed the terms of the deal.

“I knew this was going to be a tough deal whoever got him (Marchand) because of his health,” Freidman said on the show. “I did have a couple of teams tell me that, because of Marchand’s injury right now, it was going to make it harder for there to be a big return. I know Bruins fans are probably hurt and upset about the return, but … I’m not surprised that that’s what it is.”