Brad Marchand: Playoff Losses to Florida Panthers Still Sting

Brad Marchand may now be with the Florida Panthers, but that does not mean he is completely over what happened to his Bruins in the playoffs the past two years.

A few months ago, FHN wrote a piece entitled Did the Florida Panthers Break the Boston Bruins?

It was not well received in Massachusetts.

It was also not far off base.

On Tuesday afternoon, Marchand met the media in Boston for the first time since the Bruins traded their captain to the Panthers.

Although Marchand says he hoped to never leave the only organization he ever knew, business is business and both sides made a decision based on future compensation.

With the Bruins looking ready to retool things after an amazing run — Boston has missed the playoffs twice since 2008 and have been to the Final three times — Marchand was ready to move on without a new contract in place.

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He hopes to get a chance to raise the Stanley Cup again, and, he hopes it happens in a few months with the Panthers.

Marchand and the Bruins won it all in 2011 but lost in the 2014 and 2019 Final.

“We were an incredible team for a very long period of time,’’ Marchand said Tuesday before the Bruins rallied in the third to beat the Panthers 3-2.

“Maybe we haven’t achieved everything that we wanted to throughout that time.’’

The heated history between the Panthers and Bruins is not one of the ancient variety.

Things turned to high heat in 2023 when Florida rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs and ended what was the best regular season in the history of the NHL.

The Bruins were poised to win the Stanley Cup for the second time since 2011, and then the Panthers happened.

Marchand does not need any reminding.

When asked about potentially returning to Boston as a free agent come July, he brought up the 2023 playoffs.

“You can’t waste a day. I learned that very the hard way a couple years ago when we had the best season ever and we just thought we were going to be in the Finals,’’ he said.

“You waste the day, you start looking ahead, you start worrying about things that are not in your immediate future.’’

Florida also ended Boston’s season in the second round last year, Marchand sustaining a concussion after being popped in the head by new teammate Sam Bennett while lining him it for a hit as the two headed to the bench.

In 2023, the Panthers beat the heavily-favored Bruins in 7 — an upset of monumental proportions even by NHL standards.

The differential of 43 points between the Bruins and Panthers being the largest in playoff history.

Last year, the Atlantic champion Panthers were favored in the second round, and won that series in 6.