The Florida Panthers took a giant step towards back-to-back Stanley Cup championships with a 6-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of their playoff series on Sunday, May 18.
They now face a resurgent Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals. Florida’s win also heralded some good news for division rivals, the Boston Bruins, in terms of their trade agreement for veteran forward Brad Marchand.
Bruins To Get Florida’s 2027 First Round Pick in Brad Marchand Trade
The Bruins had a subpar season, indicated by the fact that they were major sellers in the trade market in March. Their most high-profile trade saw Boston captain Brad Marchand head to Florida in exchange for a 2027 second-round draft pick.
Per the terms of the agreement, if two conditions were met, the Bruins would receive a first-round pick from Florida; a protected 2027 pick or the unprotected 2028 one if the Bruins got a first 10 pick in 2027. Under the terms of the trade agreement, if Florida won two playoff series and Marchand played in 50 % of the team’s playoff games, the Panthers’ first-round pick would go to Boston.
By advancing past Round 2, Florida will send a 2027 first-round pick to Boston to complete the Brad Marchand trade.
That's a price they'll gladly pay. Marchand was arguably the best player on the ice in the series.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris)
Marchand has featured in all 12 of Florida’s postseason games so far, and the Panthers have won two playoff rounds. This means that Marchand only needs to take the ice in one of the Panthers’ potentially 14 games remaining (assuming they play all seven games in the remaining two round) to meet the 50 % appearance condition.
Given the 37-year-old’s recent form, he is almost certain to be a part of the starting lines in Game 1 against the Canes. The puck drops for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday, May 20. Marchand played a pivotal role in the Panthers’ series victory. He had scored the overtime game-winning goal to prevent the Maple Leafs from taking a 3-0 lead in the series.
On Sunday, he had a goal and two assists, playing his part in ensuring that the Maple Leafs’ Stanley Cup drought goes on. He has also set a record for most playoff wins against a single franchise in the NHL, with this being the fifth time he has been part of a team that beat the Maple Leafs.
Marchand remained humble when asked about this record during the postgame press conference.
“It wasn’t me that beat them, it was our teams. Our teams have always been really deep and good, and I am fortunate to be part of a really, really deep team here right now. So, I don’t look at it that way,” he said.
