Bruins reportedly had separate Marchand deal done before Florida trade

In their heart of hearts, and in what made the most sense for their future, the Bruins did not want to send Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers.

But Marchand had a clear idea for where he wanted to go. And that clarity forced Bruins general manager Don Sweeney to nix a separate deal and instead do what he could to accommodate his team captain's wishes at the the trade deadline, according to a new report from Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

When discussing what the future holds for Marchand after winning a Stanley Cup with the Panthers, and with a gigantic payday around the corner, Friedman threw it in a note about the Bruins' plans before Marchand had his say.

"Utah has indicated it is not crazy about term, Toronto could prefer to stretch it out, but, watching him in the final, who wouldn’t want him? Los Angeles (who had a deal with Boston, only to find out Marchand wanted Florida), New Jersey, Washington, etc., etc., he can fit anywhere," Friedman wrote.

In possession of a modified no-trade and with no shortage of suitors, Marchand always had some say in regards to where he would end up if negotiations between himself and the Bruins crumbled (as they did).

It's unclear if the Kings were indeed on that no-trade or if Marchand simply stated his preference and the Bruins respected that given his contributions to the organization, but it does provide some initial clarity as to the late-breaking element of the trade that sent Marchand to Florida, with word of the trade breaking minutes after the deadline officially expired.

Talking to Sweeney after the deadline back in March, it was asked if the deal between the Bruins and Panthers was the best available or if the Bruins did what Marchand wanted, with Sweeney alluding to what Friedman's saying.

"[Brad]'s representatives have known that there were teams that were interested [and] we worked off of his trade restrictions," Sweeney told me back in March. "We had some conversations right at the very end in terms of what may be his preference, but not necessarily a specific location. And ultimately, we made a decision for him to be in the [East] and on a really good team.” 

It could also explain the somewhat mild return on Marchand, with Boston only receiving a conditional second-round pick (it did upgrade to a first-round pick) in exchange for a player who would go on to be a key contributor for Florida on the way to their second straight Stanley Cup. (It's not too dissimilar from the trade that sent Taylor Hall from Buffalo to Boston back in 2021, with Hall by all means using his trade protection to force his way to the Bruins.)

Whether or not it was a challenge — almost like a 'fine, don't extend me, but send me to your biggest rival' — is irrelevant because it happened. And it was absolutely the Panthers' gain, and in the biggest way possible.

Of course, this all does nothing for the B's in the now, especially with the possibility of Marchand remaining in Florida on a potential under-market contract given the way they connected on and off the ice this postseason.

And oddly enough, this was also the second straight deadline where a Bruins player used their say to deny a move from the Bruins to the Kings, with Linus Ullmark reportedly doing it at the 2024 trade deadline. Those denials may have ultimately led to GM Rob Blake's dismissal from the Kings, too, with the Kings moving on after yet another first-round exit at the hands of the Oilers.