March 9, 2025 | 11:50am ET
TheFourthPeriod.com

BRUINS, MARCHAND COULDN’T BRIDGE GAP IN DOLLARS

Brad Marchand, forward

The Boston Bruins were not willing to meet in the middle with Brad Marchand on the dollars of a three-year contract and that led to the team trading him to the Florida Panthers on Friday.

As TFP’s David Pagnotta was first to report, the Bruins and Marchand were working on a three-year contract and the initial belief that a deal was getting to the finish line.

However, it became apparent that on Friday that Bruins GM Don Sweeney was not prepared to commit to a raise for Marchand and decided to move him.

Several teams expressed interest in Marchand, including the Los Angeles Kings, Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers, but the Panthers were his No.1 choice and the Bruins obliged.

During the “Saturday Headlines” segment on Hockey Night in Canada, Elliotte Friedman provided additional background information on the situation.

“I think the Bruins and the player had agreed on term, three years. But as Don Sweeney said yesterday, there was a gap and there was a gap on AAV,” Friedman said. “I don’t think he was being asked to take a pay cut or anything like that, but I do think it was a sizeable gap that they obviously could not bridge.

“Where I think there really went sideways was there was a point this week with Brad Marchand, who is currently injured and not in the lineup, asked for a face-to-face meeting with Bruins management. I don’t know exactly when it was, 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 ask, 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. And it just didn’t happen. The Bruins had gone as far as they were willing to go.”

While Marchand did not have full no-trade protection, the Bruins were willing to work with him and move him to his preferred destination.

Marchand is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent July 1.

“I think he was really stung by that and then all of a sudden, the Bruins started to look,” Friedman said of Marchand. “I think one of the things that really happened in the last 24 to 48 hours before the deadline was that Marchand’s agent – I was told by several teams – Wade Arnott made it very clear that Marchand had a place he wanted to go and obviously that was Florida and then the last minute the Bruins acquiesced and made the deal.

“I think it really hurt Marchand that the face-to-face meeting couldn’t get a deal done.”

The Bruins and Marchand may revisit talks in July, assuming he hits the open market, and try to mend their relationship.

Marchand is expected to be back on the ice at the end of March or beginning of April.