No matter how you slice it, the trade deadline has become a hallmark of the hockey season.
It is a marquee date on the National Hockey League (NHL) calendar. Hockey fans love it and young kids constantly berate their parents to let them stay home from school to watch the proceedings; at least, I did.
The 2025 version of deadline day, which took place on March 7, was filled with shock and frustration, depending on the teams you support. Several significant players found new homes before the transfer window closed, including Brock Nelson, Mikko Rantanen and Seth Jones.
Nelson was dealt to Colorado in the wee hours of Friday morning, while Rantanen and Cozens went to Dallas and Florida, respectively.
After the dust had settled, over 20 trades took place.
A move between the Florida Panthers and the Boston Bruins on deadline day raised eyebrows.
Boston traded Brad Marchand to the sunshine state for a conditional second-round pick in 2027. The pick could become a first-rounder, depending on Marchand’s playing time during the playoffs.
The deal was a buzzer beater, coming in minutes before the 3 o’clock deadline.
Marchand spent his entire 16-year career with Boston, dawning the captaincy in the past two seasons. During those 16 seasons, the Halifax, Nova Scotia native played 1090 games in the organization. In those games, Marchand scored 422 goals and put up 976 points.
Those numbers are fifth in Bruins’ history, 36 behind the legendary Phil Esposito.
This season, Marchand was second in team scoring with 47 points in 61 games before being dealt to Florida.
Granted, Marchand was a prolific scorer, but Bruins fans loved him for more than just that.
Marchand was a dependable player. When he was asked to go out and do something, he did. Whether that was to win puck battles or get inside the opponent’s head using any (and I mean any) means necessary. Usually, his go-to move was a lick on the cheek.
Over the years, Marchand became one the NHL’s premier aggressors, earning the nickname “the rat.”
Yet, there was more about Marchand than his on-ice performances. He also had a soft spot for helping those in the Boston community.
Marchand continually advocated for goodwill efforts in the organization, working with gameday personnel to make Bruins games enjoyable for everyone. In addition, he bought tickets for community members and gave them the opportunity to visit the dressing room after the game.
These moments and many more like them proved that Marchand’s heart was as big off the ice as it was on the ice.
Caitlyn Steeves is a second-year central midfielder on the St. Thomas University women’s soccer team. She has been a Bruins fan for most of her life, beginning in 2011 when Boston defeated the Vancouver Canucks to capture the Stanley Cup.
When Steeves first heard that Marchand was traded to Florida, her initial reaction was being “shocked” to learn the news.
“I was just sitting at home scrolling my phone and I saw that one of my friends texted me and I was like, ‘No, you’ve got to be joking,’” said Steeves. “I didn’t believe him and I went and looked for myself and it was there.”
“I just couldn’t believe it.”
“He brought so much as a person and as a player and his personality will always be remembered and always be something you think of when you think of him and you think of the Bruins.”
Hockey players create defining moments for themselves throughout their playing careers. These experiences are what fans remember most about their favourite players.
In Marchand’s case, Steeves believed that the defining moment of his career was Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, a time of peril that still haunts Canucks fans.
Marchand had two goals and one assist, including an empty-netter in the third period to seal the Stanley Cup’s return to Boston. The win marked the first time since 1990 that hockey’s holy grail arrived in Beantown.
Up until March 7, he was the last remaining player from the 2011 championship team.
“He was really pivotal, not just as a hockey player, but his personality as well. He’s one of those guys where you hate to play against him, but you love to have him on your team,” she said. “I think he just brought a lot to the team, he was a great leader [and] he just brought a lot of energy and was definitely a fan favourite.”
With Marchand’s departure, the question of where the Bruins will go from here still remains.
The potential to start rebuilding and retooling is definitely a possibility, as the team went with a much younger outlook by parting ways with some of their veterans and bringing in younger players like Casey Middlestadt and prospect Fraser Minten.
Yet, Boston is still in the thick of the Eastern Conference wild card race.
“To me, it seems like we’re in a rebuilding stage. And with him gone and a couple other players like [Brandon] Carlo and Charlie Coyle [leaving], we’ve definitely got a younger team,” said Steeves.
The Bruins, in recent years, have lost cornerstone players Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chára, Milan Lucic, David Krejčí and Tuukka Rask.
“So, definitely more so a fresh start and try to just finish off the season as best as they can and look to start that rebuild into next year.”
