‘This is going to be pretty fun’: Panthers pull off shocking trade for Brad Marchand moments before Trade Deadline

Has everyone caught their breath yet?

Holy cow.

The Florida Panthers just pulled off the most unbelievable week of trades in franchise history.

I am completely comfortable making that statement.

It started with a blockbuster trade to acquire Seth Jones from Chicago and ended with the surprising acquisition of Bruins captain and future Hall of Famer Brad Marchand.

In between, they added a pair of goaltenders and one of the best faceoff men in the NHL while also inking a pair of forwards who were already with the team to new contracts.

The key move that made all of that possible was Matthew Tkachuk having to go on LTIR due to an apparent groin injury. Taking his $9.5 million cap hit off the books opened up a world of opportunities for the Panthers, and Florida GM Bill Zito took full advantage.

Fast forward to Friday, where the big news of the day, at least in terms of shock value, was Marchand.

Not until quite literally the final minutes before the 3 p.m. ET deadline did reports begin to emerge that Florida was up to something with Boston.

A few hours later, Zito stood before the media with a half-grin on his face, announcing the trade and trying to explain how things played out.

While coming from vastly different perspectives, it felt like everyone in the room was going through similar phases of astoundment.

“I haven’t even spoken to him yet, they just did the trade call,” Zito said. “His record speaks for itself. We’re thrilled to have him aboard, and we’ll see where it goes.”

Marchand will be an unrestricted free agent after the season, so it will be something to keep an eye on this summer as Florida will likely try to retain his services if they can get the numbers to work.

It’s an interesting match when thinking about recent history.

The Panthers and Bruins have had some very intense games, particularly after facing each other in consecutive postseasons, with Marchand at the forefront of much of the animosity that went between the two squads.

Now that he’s a member of the Panthers, though, expect Marchand to be welcomed into Florida’s dressing room with open arms.

One of the many attributes Marchand has exuded throughout his career is that he is an excellent teammate.

You may hate to play against him, but you’d love to play next to him. Remember Radko Gudas? This is very similar.

“I suspect that it’s going to be rather seamless,” Zito said of Marchand’s integration with the team. “Our group is a very welcoming, very kind. it’s a community, and they’re very open, very concerned about each other, and I think he’ll fit famously.”

When Marchand arrives in South Florida, which could be as soon as Saturday, he’ll meet with the Panthers medical staff so they can give him a proper evaluation.

Marchand suffered an upper-body injury during a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins last weekend and had been labeled as week-to-week by the Bruins.

“He’s injured, we think it’s a couple weeks,” said Zito. “Obviously we’ll get our doctors on it. We had some conversations about that, so we were comfortable acquiring him.”

Zito also was asked if he had any update on Tkachuk’s status.

The hope is that Tkachuk will be available when the postseason arrives in mid-April, but for now, it’s all about healing and recovering.

“The best I can say is I hope so,” Zito said of Tkachuk’s playoff status. “I’m not being coy. I don’t know.”

Groin injuries, if that is in fact what Tkachuk is dealing with, can be tricky.

The playoffs will begin roughly two months after 4 Nations ended, so we’ll find out in about six weeks if that was enough time for Tkachuk’s injury to heal.

Thinking ahead, it’s hard not to get excited about the prospect of Florida’s roster, once healthy.

A second line of Sam Bennett centering Marchand and Tkachuk doesn’t seem fair.

The two Canadians (Bennett and Marchand) teamed up last month at 4 Nations and the results were fun to watch.

We’ll see how things shake out in Florida, but it’s safe to say the Panthers are going to be considered by many to be the Stanley Cup favorites when the postseason arrives.

Whatever happens, there should be no shortage of entertainment when it comes to the Panthers exploits in the battles to come.

“I think all of us are just looking forward to seeing, on the heels of the Four Nations, you saw Sam Bennett and Marchand play together, and it’s just, it’s great for the sport, right?” said Zito. “It’s exciting, it’s fun, and probably all of you, I would think, when you think about the hockey side of it, and the fan side of it, the romantic love of the game, you smile, and you’re like, ‘This is going to be pretty fun.’”

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