What the Florida Panthers Expect From Brad Marchand in His Florida Panthers Debut
“What I’m hoping for is just a simplicity to it because he’s had an incredible career. He’s a Stanley Cup champion, 1,000 games, lots of points. I don’t want to see all of it in one game.“
FORT LAUDERDALE — The Florida Panthers will finally get to introduce Brad Marchand to their lineup on Friday night against the Utah Hockey Club.
They have been waiting to do so since acquiring the superstar forward from the Boston Bruins on March 7. He had been dealing with an upper-body injury since March 1 and has been skating with the team since joining them for their six-game road trip on March 11.
So, what impact do they expect to see from him when he puts on a red Florida uniform for the first time?
“Well, all parts of it,” coach Paul Maurice said. “What I’m hoping for is just a simplicity to it because he’s had an incredible career. He’s a Stanley Cup champion, 1,000 games, lots of points. I don’t want to see all of it in one game.
Marchand has a proven track record of being able to provide that skill while playing a hardened, straight-line game.
His 422 goals and 976 points both rank in the Top 10 in Bruins history. His 56 goals, 138 points and 157 games in the postseason all rank in the Top 10 in the NHL since winning the Stanley Cup in 2011. He ranks second in both goals behind Joe Pavelski and points behind Nikita Kucherov in that span.
“He brings a lot of energy to the locker room and a lot of compete on the ice,” Gustav Forsling said. “That’s going to be huge for us.”
Even at 36 years old, Marchand has continued to bring that same level of play. He has 21 goals and 47 points in 61 games this season.
“He’s such a good player,” new linemate Mackie Samoskevich said. “So silky. When he has the puck, he sees you. He has eyes in the back of his head.”
Marchand will start his Panthers career on a line with the 21-year-old Samoskevich and Sam Bennett.
The Panthers hope that line will help provide a combination of straight-line, physical hockey — something both Marchand and Bennett have brought throughout their careers — and some skill.
“You know how tenacious this guy is, how physical this guy is, how hard he plays. But you go to practice and you’re like ‘Oh my god, he’s got hands on him.’ And you start to realize how good the skill level is there,” Maurice said.
“And I’m just hoping the three of them don’t try to show it to each other in the first five minutes — all the dangles come out and they’re chasing pucks all over. I just want it to be a little simplistic.”