SUNRISE, Fla. — Brad Marchand has made his Florida debut.
The Panthers had Marchand — who, because of an upper-body injury, hasn’t appeared in a game with Florida since being acquired in a trade with Boston three weeks ago — in the starting lineup Friday night when the team played host to the Utah Hockey Club.
Marchand, who was greeted by plenty of fans around the ice during warm-ups and even flicked a puck into the stands toward one group as a souvenir, got the loudest reception of any of Florida’s skaters when the game-opening unit was announced.
It was the first time in 1,091 NHL games, 1,248 when adding in playoff contests, that Marchand took the ice in something other than a Bruins sweater. Marchand was on Florida’s second line with Sam Bennett and Mackie Samoskevich — who grew up in New England watching Marchand play for the Bruins.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Samoskevich said of playing with Marchand. “He’s such a good player. So silky. I feel like when he has the puck, he sees you — he’s got eyes in the back of his head. It’s a lot of fun. Excited for the future with him. He’s such a good guy off the ice, too.”
Marchand had 21 goals and 26 assists in 61 games with the Bruins this season, and Panthers coach Paul Maurice said when the deal got done that Marchand, he believes, helps fill what Florida will need in its playoff run and its quest to win a second consecutive Stanley Cup.
“He’s had an incredible career,” Maurice said. “He’s a Stanley Cup champion, 1,000 games, 1,000 penalty minutes, lots of points. I don’t want to see it all in one game. … You know how tenacious this guy is, how physical he is, how hard he plays. Then you get him in practice and you’re like, ‘Oh my God, he’s got hands on him.’ And you start to realize how good the skill level is there.”
It may have been strange at first, with the former captain of the Bruins wearing Florida colors after those teams had tough playoff battles — both won by the Panthers — in 2023 and 2024. But by all accounts, Marchand has fit perfectly into the Florida mix.
“He brings a lot of energy to the locker room, a lot of compete on the ice,” Panthers defenseman Gus Forsling said. “A huge veteran that’s going to be big for us.”
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