Brad Marchand and Matthew Tkachuk always had friction between them. After all, they were the captains of two teams sharing one of the deepest divisional rivalries in the NHL. The former Bruins captain didn’t miss the chance to take a jab at the Tkachuk brothers, even during the 4 Nations Face-Off. “Sometimes when you shoot your mouth off in the media, it bites you,” Marchand said after Team Canada won the Cup.

Yet, this whole dynamic flipped on its head when the Bruins traded Marchand to the Panthers just as the trade window closed. While the move shocked the hockey community, Marchand became Matthew Tkachuk’s teammate and got a shot at the Stanley Cup. Naturally, the media were curious to find out what would happen now that the Panthers have not one but two players who don’t back down on or off the ice.

“With him (Mathew) chirping and you chirping at the same time, you feel sorry for any team out there when they face you guys?” asked the reporter. Yet, I guess ‘old habits die hard’, because Brad Marchand couldn’t help but take a cheeky jibe at Tkachuk and his habits. “I think I feel more sorry for the guys in the room than anything,” the 36-year-old joked during the locker room interview.

“Not too many guys are going to get a breakout here right now,” Marchand added after a laugh. Yet, jokes aside, the NHL icon seems to have changed his relationship dynamics with Matthew Tkachuk. The pair has not shared the ice due to Tkachuk being out due to a long-term injury sustained during the 4 Nations Face-Off. Yet, they’ve already started getting along in the locker room.

“When you have guys like that, you kind of feed off each other… It’ll be nice to be on his team instead of playing against him, for sure,” added Marchand. The Panthers’ captain was among the first to reach out to Brad Marchand when he arrived. Expressing his excitement to have the NHL veteran on board, Tkachuk wrote: “Let’s go finish the job this year…” And that’s exactly what they’ll try to do.

Brand Marchand’s entry into a playoff rivalry

The Boston Bruins captain wouldn’t have made it to the NHL playoffs had he remained with his former team. While he did try to stay on, not being able to get on the same page during the negotiations resulted in a trade. Suddenly, Marchand found himself on the defending champions’ roster with barely two months left until the league playoffs started.

However, being the veteran he is, Brad Marchand quickly adjusted to the Florida Panthers’ style of play. Then again, the fact that the Panthers’ play style matched his naturally aggressive style on the ice definitely helped. “It’s a very aggressive style. I mean, that is kind of how I play,” the 36-year-old said during an interview last week. And all this couldn’t be more timely, as the Panthers will face a very familiar opponent in Round 1.

That familiar opponent is none other than the Tampa Bay Lightning. How well do these teams know one another, you ask? Well, the Battle of Florida has played out three times in the last four years, and this meeting will make it four times in the last half-decade. What’s more? As per NHL.com, the winner of their first-round clash has gone on to play the Stanley Cup finals each time.

So, Brad Marchand suddenly finds himself in an ‘out of the frying pan and into the fire’ situation. The hockey player who recently scored his first goal in the Panthers’ jersey now has to help his team win a seven-game series against their playoff rivals. So, it’s safe to say the former Bruins captain has his work cut out for him. Thankfully, Matthew Tkachuk is set to return sooner rather than later.