![\"Florida](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/55_Panthers_vs_Stars_MJO.jpg\" "\\"Florida")
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Florida Panthers left wing Brad Marchand (63) reacts after his NHL game against the Dallas Stars at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla.<\/p>\n
Photo by Matias J. Ocner<\/p>\n
mocner@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n
Brad Marchand, in so many ways, personified the Florida Panthers this season.<\/p>\n
But perhaps the simplest way to describe his impact was how he gave 100% of what he had every time he took the ice \u2014 even though his body, like this team, was far from 100%.<\/p>\n
With that in consideration, it\u2019s easy to see why Marchand was a unanimous selection to be the Florida chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association\u2019s<\/a> nominee for the 2026 Masterton Trophy<\/a>, an award given annually to a player who \u201cbest exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a huge honor any time people put your name up for something and you\u2019re voted for something like this,\u201d Marchand said. \u201cIt also means a lot just to see the hard work and perseverance be recognized, to be able to shed some light on the ups and downs that you face throughout your career. To see that other people see that as well, I just really feel honored and flattered.\u201d<\/p>\n Marchand was a key reason \u2014 maybe the key reason \u2014 the Panthers stayed afloat and competitive and in the playoff race as long as they did in a trying season, one that officially saw them be eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday.<\/p>\n Prior to being shut down for the season in mid-March due to a lingering lower-body injury, one that caused him to miss nine games in a 13-game stretch in January and early February and put his availability for the Winter Olympics in jeopardy, Marchand was second on the team with 27 goals and 54 points in 52 games.<\/p>\n He served as an alternate captain as Florida played without captain Aleksander Barkov all season and was without Matthew Tkachuk for the team\u2019s first 47 games. His presence proved vital in the dressing room and on the ice.<\/p>\n \u201cThrough January 1, we\u2019re a point out [of a playoff spot],\u201d Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. \u201cThat was, for me, a great accomplishment. He was leading our team in scoring at that point and was just the big-goal and big-game guy. But he wasn\u2019t healthy. He played a lot of nights here for us where he was not at 100%, but he pushed for as long as he could.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a role he was equipped to handle but not one he expected to have to take on.<\/p>\n When he joined the Panthers last March at the trade deadline, a move that proved integral in Florida winning a second consecutive Stanley Cup, Marchand was supposed to be simply a complementary piece to a stacked roster.<\/p>\n Florida had its leadership base set. Barkov, Tkachuk and defenseman Aaron Ekblad were at the top. Fellow veterans like forwards Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett, defenseman Gustav Forsling and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky were here, too. There was a culture established. Marchand, who was the Bruins\u2019 captain when he was traded, didn\u2019t want to step on any toes. He wanted to mold himself into whatever supporting cast role Florida needed him to play.<\/p>\n Last year, that was playing third-line minutes, helping bring out the offensive potential in linemates Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen, serving a mentor-type role customary of veterans. He had the time of his life on the run to a championship and, like so many players before him, signed a contract extension to stay with the team.<\/p>\n Roles quickly changed this year. Injuries forced him into more ice time. Those leadership traits he built up in Boston were back at the forefront.<\/p>\n \u201cThe day Barky went down,\u201d Marchand said, \u201cwe all felt like we had to be even better than we knew we had to be to start.\u201d<\/p>\n He knows how to keep a room light even when times were rough. A perfectly timed chirp can cut tension. A key goal loosening the grip on their sticks.<\/p>\n Plus, his teammates love to fire those rubber rats fans throw onto the ice at him after wins, so there was some incentive there, too.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt a lot more comfortable this year coming in, understanding the dynamics of the room, understanding the players,\u201d Marchand said. \u201cIt felt way easier to be myself and who I\u2019ve been in the past in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n That translated on the ice for as long as his body allowed him to play. Marchand scored points in 36 of the 52 games he played, including 14 multipoint outings and five multi-goal games. Florida went 13-1-0 in the 14 games when he had at least two points.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had such high hopes coming into the year,\u201d Marchand said. \u201cWe know we\u2019re an incredibly deep team and we were a contending team. We knew that we belonged at the top of the league to compete for the playoffs and a Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n But like so many of his teammates, his body finally told him his season had to finish early. He hasn\u2019t played since March 6 and joined what has been an ever-growing list of Panthers players relegated to the sideline this season. Marchand is not expected to have to undergo surgery and should be fully ready for training camp.<\/p>\n And despite the odds being stacked against them, they fought to stay in the race until the number of casualties were simply too much to overcome.<\/p>\n \u201cIt just kept getting harder and harder,\u201d Marchand said. \u201cMore guys would get hurt, and we\u2019d have more holes to fill. It was tough on the group. It was just demoralizing, because we knew that we were trying to claw so hard to make it work. That\u2019s why the Cup is so hard to win. That\u2019s what makes it\u2019s so difficult. … You have to be healthy to start. You have to be healthy all the way through the year, through the playoffs, and you need everything to go your way.\u201d<\/p>\n But his impact on hockey this season went beyond the Panthers. He missed a game in October to serve as a guest hockey coach for the under-18 March and Mill Co. Hunters in Halifax in October for friend JP MacCallum, whose 10-year-old daughter Selah died after a battle with cancer.<\/p>\n That game served as a fundraiser for the MacCallum family.<\/p>\n Marchand called that \u201cone of the mentally toughest situations I\u2019ve ever dealt with.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was just so grateful that the Panthers organization and everybody involved here allowed me to go be there for the family and be able to support them and honor Selah,\u201d Marchand said. \u201cNot every team has that respect and would allow a player to do that. They just showed there\u2019s such a bigger part of life than the game of hockey. Being there for the people that you love and care about is first and foremost.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Florida](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MIA_45_Panthers_vs_Hurricanes_MJO.JPG\" "\\"MIA_45_Panthers_vs_Hurricanes_MJO.JPG\\"")
Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) and left wing Brad Marchand (63) celebrate after they defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in their NHL game at Amerant Bank Arena on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n![\"Florida](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/51_Panthers_vs_Bruins_MJO.jpg\" "\\"51_Panthers_vs_Bruins_MJO.jpg\\"")
Florida Panthers left wing Brad Marchand (63) celebrates after scoring in a penalty shootout against Boston Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo (70) in their NHL game at the Amerant Bank Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, in Sunrise, Fla. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n