The Florida Panthers acquired Brad Marchand at the trade deadline in March with the anticipation that he would only be a rental for the rest of the season, a final piece to a hopeful second Stanley Cup championship run. He became much, much more than that. And now the veteran forward is staying for a while. The Panthers on Tuesday announced they have signed Marchand to a six-year contract extension, which runs through the 2030-31 season. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported the deal has an annual cap hit of $5.25 million. “Instantly supplementing our lineup from the moment he arrived in South Florida, Brad has been an outstanding addition to our team,” Panthers president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito said in a press release. “He is the definition of a warrior on the ice, a critical leader for our group and a relentless competitor.” He’s the final of Florida’s big three pending free agents to get his deal, with forward Sam Bennett signing an eight-year deal Friday and defenseman Aaron Ekblad also reportedly agreeing to an eight-year deal earlier Monday. Florida’s trade for Marchand came in the 11th hour at the trade deadline on March 7, picking him up from the Boston Bruins — the team Marchand played his entire 15-and-a-half season career for to that point — for what ultimately became a 2027 first-round pick. Marchand was on an expiring contract, Boston was out of playoff contention and the two sides were at an impasse on an extension, so they dealt Marchand and gave him a chance to chase a Stanley Cup — something he hadn’t won since he was a rookie in 2011.
His on-ice impact for Florida was minimal in the regular season. Marchand came to the Panthers with a lower-body injury and only played in 10 regular-season games, producing four points (two goals, two assists). Once the Stanley Cup playoffs began, though, the 37-year-old thrived. He scored 10 goals and dished out another 10 assists over 23 postseason games while playing on the right wing of Florida’s third line with center Anton Lundell and left wing Eetu Luostarinen. He helped bring out the offense in his young linemates, was valuable on both the power play and penalty kill, and made Florida’s already deep lineup that much deeper. But beyond what he did on the ice, Marchand was a central figure in the dressing room with teammates who had been enemies over the past two years. He fit in seamlessly. He introduced himself to the group chat with a flurry of chirps. He became the center of the postgame celebration as the team flung rubber rats at him as they left the ice. He was the leader of Dairy Queen trips on the road during the final two rounds of the playoffs. “It’s been special,” Marchand said. “From a fan base that was not very fond of me and I wasn’t very fond of them, it’s done a full 180. They completely embraced me and allowed me to be part of this team in the city and very appreciative for it.”
