Brad Marchand starts in Florida Panthers debut vs Utah Hockey Club
Brad Marchand’s debut with the Florida Panthers has arrived.
Marchand not only drew into the lineup Friday night when the Panthers hosted the Utah Hockey Club, but he started alongside new linemates Mackie Samoskevich and Sam Bennett.
“He’s such a good player,” Samoskevich said. “He’s so silky. When he has the puck, he sees you. He’s got eyes on the back of his head. It’s a lot of fun. Excited for a future with him.”
The Panthers acquired Marchand, a 16-year NHL veteran and one-time Stanley Cup winner, from the Boston Bruins at the trade deadline on March 7 for a conditional second-round pick. Marchand hasn’t played since March 1 when he sustained an upper-body injury while playing for Boston against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has been a regular in Panthers practices and morning skates following the trade.
“He’s dying to get into the game, to play the game with the guys out there,” coach Paul Maurice said Thursday.
Maurice said after practice Wednesday the team was targeting Friday’s game against Utah for Marchand’s Panthers debut but also said they wouldn’t rush him into the lineup for the sake of getting him into the lineup.
“We’re not jamming these guys back on their first available day,” Maurice said Wednesday. “We’re not bringing them in early. So if he says he’d like a few more days before [playing], we’re good with that. But we need to get him through a few practices to see.”
He got through those extra practices. Now, it’s time to play.
Marchand had 21 goals and 47 points in 61 games with Boston this season before the trade. Over his career, he has 422 goals and 976 points in 1,090 regular-season games, plus another 56 goals and 138 points over 157 playoff games.
“He brings a lot of energy to the locker room, a lot of compete on the ice,” defenseman Gustav Forsling said. “A huge veteran that’s gonna be big for us.”
Florida’s projected forward lines as a result are as follows...
Carter Verhaeghe-Aleksander Barkov-Sam Reinhart
Mackie Samoskevich-Sam Bennett-Brad Marchand
Eetu Luostarinen-Anton Lundell-Jesper Boqvist
A.J. Greer-Nico Sturm-Evan Rodrigues
This story was originally published March 28, 2025 at 10:51 AM.
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