Brad Marchand & Connor Bedard’s final thoughts before START of 2025-26 NHL season | The Point

All right. Last night, the Florida Panthers received their Stanley Cup rings. Wa wa. Where’s your box? You got your box? I got I got it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I brought them. Those are rings. Wow. And if you’re fortunate enough to be there two years in a row, you got back. They’re so big you can’t wear them on the fingers that are next to each other. Insane. Five times in NHL history, a team has won at least three straight Stanley Cups. Canadians have done it twice. Last time anyone did it was at least three in a row with the Islanders who won four straight before Mess and the Oilers ended that run in 1984. Since those Islanders, there have been six teams who have had a chance to win three in a row. Mess, you’re on this list twice. First of the 86 Oilers lost to the Flames. Your 89 Oilers lost to Gretz and the Kings. Mario on the 93 Penguins got knocked off by the Islanders. 99 Red Wings lost to the ABS. Pens had another shot in 2018 to go for three in a row, but they lost to Ocean. the Caps and then 2022 the Lightning seeking the third straight cup. They got back to the final but lost to the ABS and now the Panthers have a chance to win three straight. What goes into accomplishing this feat mess that you and those great Oiler teams were not able to do? Well, a lot goes into winning one. Uh obviously trying to get back three times in a row and win it, you have to have a lot of luck. You got to be uh some continuity in your in your nucleus. I think if you’re trying to change your nucleus in the middle of that run, it’s it gets difficult. So, if your nucleus can stay together, like we see with Florida right now, their nucleus seems to be staying together, but also uh injuries uh you know, and like that’s where the luck comes into the part. A lot of bounces got to go your way to get three uh to get there three times in a row and to win three years in a row. It’s it would be an amazing feat, especially in the salary cap era where things are getting tougher and tougher to keep a team together. Uh it’s going to be a fascinating year this year. There’s a lot of teams that can win this year and Florida is going to have to hang on to the rope, especially with Barov. Yeah. And we’re going to talk to Bill Zo in just a second. O, when you took out the Penguins with their chance to win three in a row, were you able to take advantage of Pittsburgh while they’re mentally or physically exhausted? I mean, you talked about in the locker room, right? You’re going against a team that hasn’t had much of a summer for two years in a row. This is their third year doing it from game one. Wear them down, wear them down, wear them down, and hopefully by games three, four, and five, they start breaking and then we can take advantage. So that was our experience. Obviously like Mess said, one was hard enough for me. Yeah. I think uh we talked about Bill Zoto. We’ve talked about before. He’s the GM of the year every year and he kept everybody together in Florida. And let’s go down to Sunro now. It’s not a it’s not a point show without Emily Kaplan and she is there with her special guest, the GM of the year every year. M thanks Steve. So Bill, we got to start with the news. First day of preseason practice, your captain, Alexander Barov, goes down. ACL, MCL surgery, seven to nine months is initial prognosis. What have you seen from Sasha since he got that news? Well, he’s a very resilient guy. If you know him at all, um you knew that as soon as he could start to rehab, he would. Um and uh he’s been great. He’s around. He’s such a part of that group. He’s such a leader for our team. So, he’s in the room. He’s around the facility. uh at the ring ceremony last night, he actually walked and so somebody asked me, you know, does that impact his I don’t know. I have no idea, right? Um but it but uh he’s such a strong strong soul. Yeah. And uh so it’s probably as good as it could be. When you said you have no idea, you also say with Matthew Kachchuck around December, you don’t know if it’s a little before that after like how do you approach this? How does your front office know when can we spend this money or should we spend this cap space while these guys are out? So the reality is you don’t. So what we do is we just evaluate on a daily basis. If there’s something that could improve our team, we do it. And if there isn’t, we don’t. And then in the context of that decision, of course, we’re going to weigh it. Well, if we do this now, then what are the implications when? And so that’s it’s really exactly how you think it might be. All right. It’s exactly how I think, right? I’m a GM to study. No, but I mean if you you You have two houses, you’re waiting for the other one to sell. You would need to build the addition. I don’t know. Right. So, it’s it is it’s it’s math. It’s it’s not uh calculus. All right. Well, the math is you guys are now going for a three pete. What do you anticipate as the biggest challenge trying to do that? I don’t know. We don’t look at that way. Like if you said to me three, I’m saying it’s not something it would be a dream to think of something like that. So for me it would be like more like six, seven. Uh oh. Is this a meme? Uh it’s it’s just we’re worried about tonight and then tomorrow and then the next day and building towards this year until we can get to 67. Appreciate you. Thank you for joining us, guys. Who’s got a better life than Brad Marshia? Brad. Uh PK the way the way he’s traveling. Yeah, he’ll appreciate that. All right. Hey, uh Brad, how different was this off season for you and now moving into this regular season as a full-time member Florida Panther? Uh it’ll be nice to start uh from the get-go just being acclimated um to the way they do things here and and uh you know coming into training camp. It’s such a big part of the season. Um, you know, some people might underestimate it, but I think everyone that’s been there, you know, the, you know, you can really build a pretty good foundation um, in training camp and and it can propel you to have a really good season or, you know, a tough season. Um, so it’s nice to be here from the get- go. Uh, and then just obviously it’s been a lot different having to having to move to a different area, uh, pick out schools and and they start really early down here, um, you know, in August, so that was different, but uh, everybody’s acclimated here now and and, uh, feeling really good. Hey Brad, it’s mess. And speaking of getting this chance to start from the beginning and schools and all that, uh you gave everything to the Bruins. Uh you were a Boston Bruin in every way. You led the team. Uh when did you know that you weren’t going back to Boston and you wanted to be a Panther long term. Uh it it kind of came, you know, we didn’t talk a whole lot. I’m not going to get into everything, but uh we didn’t talk a whole lot with the Panthers kind of till the end. you know, we were just dealing with business and and uh um you know, it wasn’t really until just shortly before the deadline that uh we had that conversation and um it’s such a good fit. I mean, from from the get-go, uh the just the way that everything is handled from top down and and the culture that they have here, it’s one you want to be part of and and obviously I’ve very grateful for every second I I got to spend in Boston. Um it was a dream come true. They gave me the opportunity to to be in the NHL and and and be with one of the most incredible franchises uh in the history of the game and uh you know that that’s pretty much home um to me now and and a lot of great relationships there. So can’t say anything but great things about them. But this is an incredible organization as well and and and from the second I got here you know I knew I want to be part of it long term and uh very very grateful and thankful that I am. Hey, Marcy. It’s O. Uh, the boys are obviously Hey, what’s up? Everything, man. Thank you. I appreciate it. You too. You, too. Uh, the boys are obviously jacked up. We got a good looking guy on the panel up there. I’m happy. It’s nice having someone good to look at. Let’s go. Let’s go. I love this. Uh, all right. I got I got one one quick one for you. The boys are obviously jacked up for uh to raise the banner today. You guys already play with so much emotion. uh as a leader, are you trying to keep those emotions in check a little bit tonight or you just going to feed off them? Yeah, it uh you know, I’ve been on the other end of these games uh multiple times against you guys uh you know, after you guys won and uh last year in Florida here and you can see the the emotion that uh everybody plays with this night. I mean, it’s it’s so much more than than uh you know, just about this game. Um, you know, and and I think what’s really special about this group and we’ve had so many guys from last year that are here and and uh, you know, when you win, I mean, that feeling of want to chase it again, there there’s nothing that compares to that. So, we’re obviously very excited for this one. Um, you know, excited to get the game going again, but it’s also a great opportunity to turn the page. Um, you know, there’s there’s always some things through camp and stuff that kind of linger with the cup and it’s great to enjoy those moments, but at the same time, uh, it’s a completely new season, completely new opportunity. Um, you know, new adversity that we’re going to have to go through and and ups and downs and, uh, we have to build it again. So, it’s great to enjoy this moment, be prepared for it, but also turn the page and and just focus on what we have to do to, you know, hopefully do it again. Have another great season. Thanks for taking the time. Thanks, Brad. Good luck, brother. Good luck. Thanks, guys. Appreciate it. All right. Thanks. They certainly do. Thanks a lot, Lee. We’re here with Connor Bard, one of the most electrifying young players in the league. Connor, what did you focus on this off season? Uh, yeah. I think a big thing for me was try to get a bit quicker and um and then just everything, sharpening your skills and I felt like I had a good offseason. Coach, talk about the vibe being real high with your group. What would you say to that? Yeah, we feel great. Um, you know, we love each other in the room and, uh, we’re going to battle for one another. So, uh, you know, we’re excited to get going and we have high high expectations for ourselves. What’s the key to you guys getting the victory? We know the banner’s going up. What’s the key to getting the victory here in the opener? Yeah, I think kind of, you know, handle that first jump. You know, they’re going to have energy with that. Uh crowd’s going to be buzzing and, you know, we got to handle that push and then get to our game. Play with speed. Uh get on them and uh yeah, it’ll be a good one. I know that you’re the ultimate hockey nerd and I say it as the ultimate compliment. What did you study that you’re going to put into your game this year? Yeah, I think as as a group, honestly, we watch these guys a lot. You know, you see we’re fortunate. We get to play the best team in the league day one and um you know seeing how they were, how hard they made it on teams, I think we watch that a lot and uh you know we’re excited to kind of try to emulate that a little. Best of luck Connor. Thank you. Appreciate it. Thanks. [Music] [Music]

On The Point, Florida Panthers winger Brad Marchand reflected on what it means to win back-to-back Stanley Cups as he begins his quest for a three-peat, while Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard shared what he’s most looking forward to in the upcoming season after Emily Kaplan spoke with Panthers GM Bill Zito.

0:00 Florida’s quest to three-peat
2:29 Panthers GM Bill Zito
4:46 Brad Marchand
8:55 Connor Bedard

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