When the Boston Bruins and general manager Don Sweeney traded captain Brad Marchand at the trade deadline in March, it was a shock to the system of fans. What was even more of a shock was the destination, the Florida Panthers.
Marchand went down to South Florida and was a big part of the Panthers winning a second straight Stanley Cup. To no one's surprise, he re-signed there over the summer and will finish his career there.
Florida is struggling to begin the 2025-26 season without some key players in their lineup. As they showed last year, they don't care where they finish in the standings, just as long as they are one of the top eight teams in the Eastern Conference.