Brad Marchand of the Florida Panthers. Still sounds totally wrong, doesn’t it? Well, it’s probably the general consensus, even among non-Bruins fans. And perhaps even Marchand himself. “So, yeah, it was very disappointing that things didn’t get done just because, obviously, I love the organization. I wanted to stay there.” Brad Marchand remarked after a notable pause following his trade to the Panthers. The hockey forward’s statement reflected the harsh truth of the NHL: nothing is guaranteed, and everything can change in a second.

He shared the heartbreak of the fans as he departed from the franchise after 16 seasons spent together on the ice. Clearly, it wasn’t just the player or the fans who found this trade puzzling. On NESN’s YouTube channel, hockey reporter Kasey Hudson expressed her views on this trade, saying, “And like something else that I thought about while I still try to process this over the weekend is imagine getting the tap on the shoulder. Imagine being entrusted with following up a guy like Patrice Bergeron and wearing the C on your chest.“When you get rewarded that kind of responsibility, I would almost assume a part of you feels safe to stay with this organization.”

What baffles the hockey reporter is that Marchand was traded even though he did take over Bergeron’s position. “You know what I mean? Like when you follow up greatness, it almost tells you you’re safe. So I think that that’s another level of like, I don’t want to call it blindside because obviously, you know, Brad Marchand has said his part and Don Sweeney has said his part, but it’s just like, it just kind of adds to the blindside of the trade,” Hudson remarked.

Hudson’s words really capture how disorienting the Marchand trade really has been – for the player and for everyone else. Following up Patrice Bergeron—a cup winner who’s played 1294 games, netting 427 goals, providing 613 assists, and amassing a total of 1040 points—is a big responsibility and giving it to Marchand elicited a sense of security.

The moment a hockey player’s sweater bears the C, it signifies a weighty set of responsibilities resting upon them. Was Marchand prepared for the moment when Patrice Bergeron ultimately stepped away from the game? “It’s hard without him. I miss him all the time and am still getting used to him not being around,” remarked the former Bruins player. And yet Marchand was a more than capable inheritor of that mantle, which is why the unexpected nature of Sweeney’s decision caught everyone off guard. Now what was the general manager’s response in the aftermath of this trade?

Don Sweeney on trading Brad Marchand

As of now, Don Sweeney faces a barrage of remarks such as, “Trades a Hall of Famer that’s still capable of 30+ goals for a cond. second rounder??? Sweeney sabotaged.” The fans of the Boston Bruins are understandably upset about the decision to part ways with their captain, a player who dedicated 16 seasons to the franchise. What did he say?

“Just had a gap. Deep down, we had been talking really from day two, I think, of free agency in terms of what his intentions were and where we were at. And we always had a bit of a term gap that took us a while and felt that we had been able to bridge that,” Sweeney stated.

The Bruins’ general manager revealed that discussions began with Marchand as soon as he entered the final year of his eight-year, $49 million contract, which was signed in 2016. However, for a variety of reasons, he found no choice but to release Marchand to the Florida Panthers.

But has his respect diminished for the former captain? Not at all! Sweeney remarked, “But again, a player is more than entitled to have an understanding of what they think their market value is and do what’s best for them. And I have to always respect that. There’s never an ounce of me that won’t respect what that player thinks is best for he and his family. That’s the decision that was made. And then we had to make a really, really difficult decision to say, well, let’s give Brad another opportunity with a really good team. And then he can make his decision as to what he thinks is best moving forward.”

Although Sweeney traded Marchand, he recognized the caliber of player he was parting with. Nonetheless, the general manager is keen to observe whether the former captain seizes this opportunity and finds success with the Panthers. At this point, Marchand’s new franchise has yet to finalize any agreement with him, leaving the hockey forward’s future in the NHL uncertain as time unfolds.