Don Cherry’s Theory on Potential Brad Marchand Agreement Between Bruins and Panthers originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Brad Marchand is one win away from a second Stanley Cup, this time with the Florida Panthers after winning it with the Boston Bruins back in 2011.
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And yet, less than four months after being traded out of Boston, speculation about a possible return to the Bruins is already swirling and getting sparked by none other than former NHL coach Don Cherry.
On Episode 312 of “The Don Cherry’s Grapevine Podcast,” Cherry entertained the idea of Marchand returning to Boston in free agency, even floating the possibility of a behind-the-scenes agreement between his current and former franchises.
“Maybe (the Panthers and Bruins met and) said, ‘Listen, you sign him for this year. We’ll sign him—we’ll sign them next year,’” Cherry said, implying a reunion could already be in the works.
Don Cherry teased Brad Marchand’s (63) possible return to the Boston Bruins as Marchand becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1.Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Marchand, 36, will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, having just completed the final season of the eight-year, $49 million contract he signed with Boston in 2016.
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The Panthers acquired him at the trade deadline in exchange for a conditional pick, and since then, he’s been extraordinary. Marchand has scored six goals in the Stanley Cup Final alone, becoming the first player in NHL history to tally at least five goals in a single finals with two different teams.
The veteran winger has 10 goals and 10 assists through 22 playoff games this spring and leads all active players with 13 career goals in the Stanley Cup Final.
Cherry and his son, Tim, both picked Marchand as their Conn Smythe favorite in the same podcast
“You gotta pick one of those guys (Marchand, Sam Bennett, or Sergei Bobrovsky. I would say Marchand,” Tim said. “Yeah,” Don Cherry replied. “This would be the toughest one of them all.”
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 16, 2025, where it first appeared.