Brad Marchand knew returning to Boston wasn’t going to happen because he wanted a long-term deal. But he almost ended up with a different rival of the Bruins.
“It was between Florida and Toronto of where I was gonna go,” the Panthers forward told reporters Tuesday.
While the 37-year-old ultimately returned to Florida, he wasn’t sure that was in the cards due to its cap situation. But once the opportunity became a reality, it was a no-brainer.
“Once the opportunity came up to sign here, it was no question. It’s where I wanted to be,” Marchand said. “But just with where we were, I didn’t think it was going to be able to happen.”
Marchand never hit free agency over the summer and signed a six-year extension with the Panthers. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported the Maple Leafs had an offer ready for Marchand if he hit free agency on July 1.
Marchand believes the Maple Leafs are a good team and “compete the right way,” but not having Mitch Marner — who the Maple Leafs signed and traded to the Vegas Golden Knights — hurts them.
“It’s unfortunate the fans ran Marner out of town. That’s a huge impact for their group,” Marchand said. “He’s a point-per-game player. That hurts. So. But they’re a great team, great organization.”
The Bruins traded Marchand to the Panthers at last year’s trade deadline. Marchand wanted to stay with the Bruins, and general manager Don Sweeney wanted to make him a Bruin for life. But Marchand didn’t want to take a short-term deal.
“I was never going to take a one or two-year deal. Not even a three-year deal. That just wasn’t in the cards,” Marchand said in September. “I want to play as long as I can. That’s the main reason why it didn’t work out in Boston. I want to play until I get kicked out of the league.”
Three months after the trade, Marchand hoisted the Stanley Cup — the second of his career — with the Panthers.