The Boston Bruins have released a behind-the-scenes video showing the exact moment general manager Don Sweeney informed the front office that the franchise had traded longtime captain Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers.
The footage, part of the team’s “Behind the B” series, captures Sweeney walking into the room moments after finalizing the deal to inform the rest of the Bruins brass about it.
The room is silent as he speaks, with one person audibly muttering, “Jesus,” under his breath. Other than that, no one says a word as the front office processes what had just happened.
“Florida just traded for March,” Sweeney said. “It’s a second-round pick ’27, turns into a first-round pick if they get through two rounds and he plays 50% of the games. Retention 50%.”
Marchand, 36, spent 16 seasons with the Bruins, tallying 422 goals and 976 points in 1,090 games while playing a key role in Boston’s 2011 Stanley Cup win.
The winger is in the final year of his eight-year, $6.125 million contract and will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
According to NHL analyst Paul Bissonnette, Marchand asked Boston for a three-year deal worth $7.5 million annually. The Bruins, however, refused to meet those demands.
Boston stopped short of them and offered their former captain his current $6.63 million salary on a similar three-year deal.
Days after the trade, Marchand admitted he had been willing to compromise to stay in Boston while holding tears during his introductory press conference with the Panthers, but was ultimately moved anyway.
The veteran also left the door open for a possible return to Beantown signing with the Bruins in free agency.
“I don’t know what the future brings in terms of how it plays out in the summertime,” Marchand said. ”I know it didn’t come together now. Can things change down the road? Potentially, but that’s to be seen.”
Marchand remains sidelined with an upper-body injury but is expected to make his Panthers debut before the regular season is over.
