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BOSTON -- On the time of the 2025 NHL commercialized deadline, 1 of the astir transformative days for the Boston Bruins successful caller memory, Charlie McAvoy was stuck connected his couch.
The Boston defenseman was inactive recovering from an wounded helium sustained astatine the 4 Nations Face-Off that landed him successful the hospital. The Bruins were successful Tampa connected a two-game trip.
McAvoy and his woman watched the minutes tick down to the 3 p.m. ET deadline and breathed a suspiration of relief. Despite rumors his squad mightiness teardrop it each down, the harm wasn't arsenic atrocious arsenic they had feared.
"And past things started coming successful aft the deadline, 3:10, 3:15," McAvoy recalls. "And it's conscionable tough. It's the quality of hockey. It's the concern of the game. But there's quality beings down it all, large friends, large friends of my wife's. And it's sad. It's ne'er casual seeing your friends determination connected and spell to antithetic places."
The Bruins were 1 of the busiest teams connected March 7, trading 5 seasoned players. The deepest dagger: saying goodbye to captain Brad Marchand. It wasn't conscionable that the Bruins parted with a subordinate they drafted successful the 3rd circular astir 20 years ago, a feisty winger who helped them triumph a Stanley Cup successful 2011 and a person who matured nether their ticker and continued to found the squad culture. The destination was arsenic stunning: Florida. The Panthers shocked the historically ascendant Bruins successful 2023 by knocking them retired successful the archetypal circular of the playoffs, past won their archetypal Stanley Cup the pursuing season. They were the squad with which Marchand had helped brew a caller rivalry. And the squad that catapulted supra Boston atop the hockey world.
In the 7 months since the trade, Marchand helped the Panthers triumph different Stanley Cup, scoring six goals (and 2 crippled winners) successful the Final against Edmonton. Marchand continued to taunt opponents, became beloved successful the Panthers' locker room, and seemed to beryllium having much amusive than ever embracing Florida's culture.
"Brad is an honorable man, and that's wherefore helium fits successful our group," Florida manager Paul Maurice said successful June. "He loves the game, loves the radical astir him, is precise open, precise gregarious, truthful conscionable fits close in. He's wholly accepted."
Marchand re-signed successful Florida this summertime connected a six-year, $31.5 cardinal woody -- which 1 rival beforehand bureau enforcement called "sticker daze for a 37-year-old." Meanwhile, the Bruins embraced a hard reset, recalibrating short-term expectations portion injecting the roster with younger players.
On Tuesday, Marchand volition instrumentality to TD Garden crystal for the archetypal clip arsenic an hostile of the Bruins (7:30 ET, ESPN).
"I'm excited for this one. I mean, it'll beryllium amusive to vie against guys I played with for a agelong clip and beryllium connected the different broadside of it," Marchand said Monday. "I'm definite it volition beryllium a beauteous aggravated game. It volition beryllium amusive to play successful beforehand of the Bruins fans again."
Everyone is bracing for emotion.
"I'm definite that we'll person a precise neat tribute for him and each the blood, sweat, and tears that helium gave for the Bruins -- 1 of the champion Bruins to ever play," McAvoy said. "I deliberation he'll get an astonishing ovation from the crowd. And past he'll astir apt get booed close after."
"I'm definite it's going to beryllium pugnacious for immoderate people," Marchand said. "They won't beryllium capable to cheer due to the fact that they don't similar the Panthers precise much. Maybe they'll similar maine capable to springiness a small 'Yay' oregon something."
IT WAS ALWAYS Marchand's volition to beryllium a life-long Bruin. It was the Bruins' plan to contend for a Stanley Cup past season. It each derailed with a disastrous start, which outgo manager Jim Montgomery his occupation 20 games into the season.
"Last twelvemonth was a seismic displacement successful presumption of however we've been," Bruins GM Don Sweeney told ESPN. "We had to instrumentality a cold, hard look successful the reflector and recognize wherever we were. We weren't anyplace adjacent to the level we had been the past six, 7 years, and we had to marque immoderate truly hard decisions professionally, and truly hard decisions personally."
Marchand, who was named Bruins skipper successful September 2023, was successful the last twelvemonth of an eight-year $49 mill...
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