Brad Marchand wanted to remain with the Bruins for his career. General manager Don Sweeney wanted to make him a Bruin for life.
But Boston’s captain was traded at the 2024-25 deadline to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.
There was talk about a potential reunion between the Bruins and Marchand, but the forward signed a six-year contract extension to remain in Florida.
Speaking to reporters during the Panthers’ media day, Marchand revealed why he and the Bruins couldn’t come to terms on a new contract.
“I want to play as I long as I can. That’s the main reason it didn’t work in Boston,” he said, via Five Reasons Sports. “I want to play until I get kicked out of the league.”
Marchand, 37, will be 43 when his contract expires.
He learned under Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron — the two captains before him — which helped him continue the culture Chara established in 2006 when he signed with the Bruins. Marchand was an important part of Boston’s roster for 16 seasons. But being unable to come to terms on a contract that made sense for both sides led to the Bruins moving on from their captain.
Marchand admitted he didn’t expect to be with the Panthers beyond last season, and didn’t shy away from the fact that Florida being a non-tax state is a benefit other teams don’t have.
“Call a spade a spade, if we were not in a non-tax state, it wouldn’t have worked out probably for two guys,” Marchand said. “Two guys probably would have been leaving in that situation. So it’s a benefit that this team has, we were able to utilize and make work.”
The Bruins, meanwhile, are retooling their roster as they look to re-establish their culture after a lackluster 2024-25 season saw them miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016.