Bruins on doorstep of another first-round pick

The Bruins are officially one more Brad Marchand playoff appearance in 2025 away from officially earning a first-round pick from the Panthers.

Halfway there following Florida's opening-round series victory over the Lightning, the Bruins' quest for a 2027 first-round pick took a massive step forward Sunday night with Florida's Game 7 win over the Maple Leafs up in Toronto. And Marchand certainly played a factor in that one, too, with a goal and two assists in the 6-1 final at Scotiabank Arena.

Of course, the important note there is that the Panthers have officially achieved what most viewed as a most difficult element of the conditions on the pick they sent to Boston, as the Panthers needed to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the pick to upgrade to a first-round pick from a second-round pick. Defending champions or not, that was a path that required the Panthers beating what was a white-hot Lightning club entering the postseason and then a Maple Leafs squad with a home-ice advantage.

But Sunday's Game 7 win for the Panthers also came with a significant step towards meeting the other condition on the pick, which relates to Marchand and his postseason playing time for the Panthers.

In addition to the Panthers needing to advance to round three, Marchand needed to appear in at least 50 percent of Florida's postseason games. And it turns out that it's more than just 50 percent of the games in the opening two rounds (which was originally believed to be the case among many, myself included), but all of Florida's games during the 2025 postseason.

Running through some quick math here, the Panthers have already played 12 games this postseason and Marchand has been in the lineup for all 12. They could only play another 14 games maximum depending on what happens in round three and four, meaning that Marchand would only need to make one more appearance this spring for the conditions to be met (he would have appeared in 13 of a possible 26 games max), and that's again assuming that the Panthers go the distance in rounds three and four. Otherwise, the conditions will be met and the pick will become a first.

Skating on Florida's third line this spring, the 37-year-old Marchand has been a hugely impactful depth piece for the Cats, with three goals and 12 points through 12 postseason games for Florida.

The Panthers will play the Hurricanes in the third round of the playoffs, and will be vying for their third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final.