‘He’s a rat,’ but Brad Marchand embraces that as his Panthers tenure enters playoffs
Late in the second period of Brad Marchand’s Florida Panthers debut on March 28, the TV broadcast caught captain Aleksander Barkov laughing on the bench sitting next to his new teammate. As Barkov recalled, Marchand had said one of his many chirps that he became well known for during his 16 seasons with the Boston Bruins, and it brought back some memories.
“I realized I’ve heard this many times from one Boston player,” Barkov said, “but now I’m hearing this from my own teammate. It was a fun moment. When they announced Brad Marchand in the starting lineup, you’re just sitting there and thinking, ‘Is this real?’ You just battled against him for how long I’ve been here, and now, all of a sudden, you’re his teammate. It’s crazy, but it was awesome.”
About two weeks later, after Marchand scored his first goal with his new team, Barkov and fellow forward Evan Rodrigues celebrated with Marchand by pelting him with a rubber rat that fans throw onto the ice at home games following wins.
“He’s a rat,” Rodrigues quipped in the dressing room after the game.
“He’s not wrong,” Marchand replied with a wry smile of his own.
It has been about a month and a half since the Panthers acquired Marchand from the Bruins as part of a trade deadline deal in which Florida sent back a conditional 2027 second-round pick. Marchand, 36, had played his entire 16-season NHL career with the Bruins up to that point — 1,090 regular-season games plus another 157 in the Stanley Cup playoffs, including winning it all in 2011.
After being a Panthers adversary for so long, and that role amplifying the past two years with Florida knocking Boston out of the Stanley Cup playoffs each of those seasons, Marchand has fully embraced his new — even if temporary — role with the Panthers as they attempt to win the Stanley Cup for a second consecutive season. That journey begins Tuesday when Florida begins its opening-round matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena (8:30 p.m., ESPN/Scripps Sports).
“I’m just enjoying this whole journey,” Marchand said. “It’s such a unique experience for myself. I’ve been part of really good teams that have accomplished big things and some that haven’t. Regardless, what you realize is that these opportunities are very few and far between and you’ve got to enjoy every day in this league. And I’m having a lot of fun right now.”
That’s evident.
Marchand’s boisterous personality and notorious chirps have been on full display ever since he arrived in South Florida. Panthers center Sam Bennett, who had a contentious altercation with Marchand in Round 2 of the playoffs last year, said Marchand’s first message after being added to the team group chat was a chirp.
“You love that,” Bennett said. “It breaks the ice. It’s just who he is. We’re excited to have that personality here.”
Added Panthers coach Paul Maurice: “That’s a part of the package and an important part of it. Everybody’s going to be wired here [in the playoffs]. ... He brings lots of energy, right? He’s got lots to say and it makes it fun.”
The way Florida’s room is built makes it easy for a big personality and big-time player like Marchand to seamlessly fit in.
The core of this Panthers team has been together for three years, making it to the Stanley Cup Final two years ago and winning it all last year. The group understands that any addition is made to improve the team, and it’s embraced.
“Our room is built like that, very accepting,” Maurice said. “You’ve got a lot of guys in our room that are very secure in their game and their position. When a new guy comes in, the first thought isn’t ‘Is that guy taking my job?’ It’s, ‘Hey, that guy just made us better.’ So it brings an excitement.”
Marchand, who is primarily playing on Florida’s third line with Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen, scored two goals and added a pair of assists during his 10 regular-season games with Florida. His blend of physicality and scoring touch add yet another layer of talent to Florida’s already deep forward group. And his ability to be unapologetically himself — weaving in wise cracks when levity is needed with the ability to lock in when it’s time to get serious — has helped him instantly connect with his new teammates in a short period of time.
Now, it’s a matter of carrying that into the playoffs.
“This team is built to want to win,” Marchand said. “They have that drive. When you walk in the room, everyone was really excited for each and every one of us to come in and be part of the group, but I think we’re just as excited to come in and want to be part of an incredible group. Everyone was trying to help in any possible way, on and off the ice and in the gym and just trying to get the different routines down and get the lay of the land and the way things are done around here. Everyone was great. You just tell the excitement that the group had, because you feel that. When the management and ownership bring guys in to try to help a group, you gain excitement and momentum from that.”
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