It was hard to see Brad Marchand wearing any other uniform than the black and gold of the Boston Bruins. After a failed contract negotiation before the trade deadline, the Bruins shipped their captain to the Florida Panthers to give him a chance at a Stanley Cup run. Marchand could arrive in Florida and love playing in the sunny state with no state income tax. However, signing an extension with the Panthers might be off the table if Marchand values being closer to his family.
It's safe to assume Marchand pushed for a trade to Florida so he can stay on the Eastern side of North America. All the rumors surrounding him the night before the trade had him going the Western Conference, which makes sense considering the Bruins wouldn't want to trade him to a rival. It sounds like Boston drew the line at trading him to the Toronto Maple Leafs, but decided to honor Marchand's request and put him in Florida for a limited return.
The question now is what happens when the season ends and Marchand becomes an unrestricted free agent. The door isn't closed on him returning to Boston and continuing his historic career, but extension negotiations going sour don't usually lead to a reunion. If Marchand wants to return to the Northeast, his options are lower, but the Montreal Canadiens are a team that could look into it.
Marchand reportedly wanted $7.5 million annually over three years from the Bruins. Don Sweeney countered with a three-year, $6.3 million annual deal, but Marchand wished to meet in the middle. The Bruins weren't willing to do it, which makes sense for their current salary structure and need for more players. Spending so much cap space on an aging Marchand wouldn't have set them up for much success for the contract.
Can Kent Hughes find a way to pay Marchand that money? If he does, the top three lines next season would be able to go against any team in the league. Marchand, Ivan Demidov, Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky, Patrik Laine, Kirby Dach, and Alex Newhook would be the envy of many in the league. The Canadiens can make it work, thanks to the value of having Lane Hutson and Demidov still on their entry-level deals.
Let's review a scenario: Marchand signs a three-year deal, and Demidov signs his three-year entry-level contract. The Canadiens can get the most out of Marchand for the next three seasons while holding Demidov for pennies on the dollar. After the three-year contract ends, Marchand rides off into the sunset, and the Habs pay Demidov his big ticket with the salary opening up from the Marchand deal expiring.
The Canadiens want to start contending, and adding a player like Marchand to build a winning culture and bring leadership to the group could be the cherry on top of the Kent Hughes rebuild.