When the Boston Bruins traded Brad Marchand right ahead of the trade deadline, it shocked the NHL world. After 16 seasons with the Bruins, few expected the team to trade their captain at 37. Meanwhile, the NHL forward suddenly found himself between a rock and a hard place, trying to adjust to the Florida Panthers’ way. And that became the topic of discussion during the 2025 Stanley Cup champions’ team dinner.

Not just Marchand, but everyone who transferred from other NHL teams and shone with the Panthers joined in. “We all have our own story about, you know? Maybe not being the happiest about the situation at the time, and kind of how things played out for certain guys,” Marchand told rinkside reporter Katie Engleson. However, the result of the discussion yielded a hilarious dig at the teams who let them go.

Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk posted stories in appreciation of Brad Marchand. “Thank you, @NHLBRUINS,” they wrote on their Instagram stories, taking a dig at what turned out to be the Bruins’ biggest misstep. However, the 37-year-old went absolutely overboard, sharing a picture of almost every Panther thanking their previous team. And by everyone, I mean even head Paul Maurice and GM Bill Zito.

“Those are the things at the time that you don’t always look at and want to happen. Or you know you’re not happy about it in the moment, or you don’t understand why things are going a certain way,” Marchand explained about the sudden transfers players like him faced. However, it all makes sense once things start falling into place. “So cliche, but everything happens for a reason. All those teams making bad decisions to get rid of guys and our team making incredible decisions to bring them all in.” Everyone who has joined the Panthers in the last few years has achieved incredible success. While others may not have had such a quick turnaround like Marchand, they’ve become part of the budding NHL dynasty.

In fact, alternate captain Matthew Tkachuk also alluded to signing with the Cats changing his career trajectory. “Coming down here changed my life,” Tkachuk said after winning his second Stanley Cup. “It all played a part in us winning the cup,” Brad Marchand said about those teams deciding to let today’s Panthers stars go.

“So it just kind of came together last night. We were joking about it, and I like to have some fun. So I let everyone know how much I appreciated,“ Marchand added. What’s more? The 37-year-old Florida Panthers’ NHL future may be in good hands.

Brad Marchand spoke his mind

While the Cats are facing the dilemma of a limited 19 million cap space, things seem to be going in the right direction. While Aaron Ekblad raised eyebrows with his emotional admission at the E11even nightclub during the Panthers’ victory celebration, Sam Bennett emphatically announced he’ll be staying. Yet, besides Bennett and Ekblad, Marchand also needs a contract.

With $19 million in cap space, signing all three stars will be tricky for the Panthers. After their stellar 2025 playoff performance, it’s clear that the Panthers don’t want to part ways with any of the three stars. Thankfully, Brad Marchand doesn’t want to leave either. “Give me a contract!” the Cats forward said when the media asked him about his message to GM Bill Zito.

The good news is that the NHL veteran may be close to landing a deal well before becoming an unrestricted free agent on July 1. The Athletic‘s Chris Johnston has reported that Marchand is expected to sign a four-year, $32 million deal ($8 million AAV) with the Panthers. While that’s not official news, Marchy’s willingness to stay at Sunshine is definitely a plus point.

After all, the Florida Panthers can leverage their hometown discount of tax exemptions to frugally spend their $19 million budget. GM Bill Zito wouldn’t say, “I think we can bring them all back,” to TSN if he didn’t have a plan up his sleeve. That being said, what did you think about Brad Marchand subtly throwing shade at other NHL teams? Tell us in the comments.