The Boston Bruins put a three-year deal on the table for Brad Marchand in February, but the sides had different perspectives on money, sources told ESPN on Saturday.
That gap led the Bruins to trade their captain, who would have been an unrestricted free agent in July, to the Florida Panthers on Friday for a conditional second-round pick. It would become a first-round pick if Marchand appears in 50% of the Panthers’ playoff games in the first two rounds.
Initially, two years was a sticking point in the Marchand negotiations, but Bruins management went to ownership and got the approval to offer a three-year deal in February, sources told ESPN. Marchand didn’t feel the money offered was equal to his value.
Marchand, who turns 37 in May, was in the final year of an eight-year deal that carried a $6.125 million average annual value. A 2006 third-round pick, Marchand played his entire 16-year career in Boston.
When the Bruins determined they were going to trade Marchand, they worked to get him to a preferred destination. According to sources, Marchand had family considerations and wanted to stay on the East Coast if he could not be in Boston. The defending Stanley Cup champions were also an attractive destination because of their commitment to win again. Marchand’s former Bruins teammates from the 2011 Stanley Cup-winning team, Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton, now work in Florida’s front office.
Marchand is coming off three offseason surgeries and is currently injured. Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said Friday that Marchand was three or four weeks away from returning.
Marchand has 21 goals and 47 points in 61 games this season, marking the 12th straight season he has scored at least 20 goals. His career high is 36 goals and 100 points in 2018-19.
The days leading up to the 2025 NHL trade deadline were a furious final sprint as contenders looked to stock up for a postseason run while rebuilding clubs added prospects and draft capital.
After the overnight Brock Nelson blockbuster Thursday, Friday lived up to expectations, with Mikko Rantanen, Brad Marchand and other high-profile players finishing the day on different teams than they started with. All told, NHL teams made 24 trades on deadline day involving 47 players.
Which teams and players won the day? Who might not feel as well about the situation after trade season? Reporters Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski identify the biggest winners and losers of the 2025 NHL trade deadline:
There are some who saw what the Carolina Hurricanes did at the trade deadline — or perhaps failed to do after they traded Mikko Rantanen — and believe they’re cooked when it comes to the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, based on the projections from Stathletes, the Canes remain the team with the highest chances of winning the Cup, at 16.7%.
Standing before them on Sunday are the Winnipeg Jets (5 p.m. ET, ESPN+). The Jets had a relatively quiet deadline, adding Luke Schenn and Brandon Tanev, though sometimes these additions are the types of small tweaks that can push a contender over the edge. As it stands, the Jets enter their showdown against the Canes with the sixth-highest Cup chances, at 8.7%.
Carolina has made two trips to the Cup Final: a loss to the Detroit Red Wings in 2002 and a win over the Edmonton Oilers in 2006. The Canes have reached the conference finals three times since (2009, 2019, 2023). Winnipeg has yet to make the Cup Final, and was defeated 4-1 in the 2018 Western Conference finals by the Vegas Golden Knights in the club’s lone trip to the penultimate stage.
Both clubs are due. Will this be their year?
There is a lot of runway left until the final day of the season on April 17, and we’ll help you keep track of it all here on the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide detail on all the playoff races — along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.
Points: 43 Regulation wins: 12 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 17 Points pace: 54.3 Next game: vs. NSH (Tuesday) Playoff chances: ~0% Tragic number: 8
Race for the No. 1 pick
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the draw for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process can be found here. Sitting No. 1 on the draft board for this summer is Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters.
Hintz extended his stick toward Henrique, whose wrist shot sent the puck under Hintz’s visor during his club’s 5-4 loss to the Oilers. He was on the ice, with his face in a towel, as the team’s medical staff assessed him and helped him skate toward the dressing room.
After the loss, Dallas coach Peter DeBoer said Hintz was at a local hospital, receiving tests. The coach added that the initial report was fairly optimistic for Hintz, 28, who has 25 goals and 52 points.
“Everyone’s optimistic that it’s not ‘serious, serious,'” DeBoer said. “But we won’t know until we get testing.”
The short-handed Stars rallied from a 5-1 deficit before eventually losing. Trade deadline acquisition Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist in his debut for Dallas, which had its four-game winning streak stopped. Wyatt Johnston, Jamie Benn and Matt Dumba also scored for the Stars.