The Boston Bruins put a three-year deal on the table for Brad Marchand in February but the sides had different perspectives on money, sources told ESPN on Saturday.
That gap led the Bruins to trade their captain, who would have been an unrestricted free agent in July, to the Florida Panthers on Friday for a conditional second round pick — that could be a first round pick if Marchand appears in 50 percent of the Panthers playoff games in the first two rounds.
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Initially, two years was a sticking point in the Marchand negotiations, however Bruins management went to ownership and got the approval to offer a three year deal in February, sources told ESPN. Marchand didn’t feel the money offered was equal to his value.
Marchand, who turns 37 in May, was in the final year of an eight year deal that carried a $6.125 million AAV. A 2006 third round pick, Marchand played his entire 16 year career in Boston.
The Bruins made several big moves on Friday to begin looking to the future, also trading away veterans Charlie Coyle (to Colorado) and Brandon Carlo (Toronto).
When the Bruins determined they were going to trade Marchand, they worked to get him to a preferred destination. According to sources Marchand had family considerations and wanted to stay on the East Coast if he could not be in Boston. The defending Stanley Cup champions were also an attractive destination because of their commitment to win again. Marchand’s former Bruins teammates from the 2011 Stanley Cup winning team, Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton, are now executives in Florida’s front office.
Marchand is coming off three offseason surgeries and is currently injured. Bruins GM Don Sweeney said on Friday that Marchand is three or four weeks away from returning.
