Bruins offered Marchand a 3-year extension prior to trade

The Bruins shocked hockey fans everywhere by trading captain Brad Marchand to their division rival Florida Panthers at the trade deadline on Friday.

Trading Marchand sounded more and more likely than agreeing to a contract extension as this past week went along. But, the ultimate destination stunned the NHL, along with the return for Boston: a 2027 conditional second-round draft pick.

TSN Sports’ Chris Johnston had reported on Thursday that if Marchand was to be dealt, he would likely be heading to a west coast team. Instead, he joins the Atlantic Division-leading Panthers down the stretch.

Neither side presumably wanted things to end this way. In fact, extension negotiations between both parties reportedly persisted until at least some time last month.

According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, Boston offered Marchand, 36, a three-year extension in February (his contract ends after this season). However, Kaplan says the length of the offer was approved by ownership and added that there was “obviously a difference in perspective on AAV (Average Annual Value).”

“The Bruins had a three-year offer on the table in February that would have made Brad Marchand a Bruin for life,” she said on ESPN on Saturday. “Management went to ownership, they got the OK to do a three-year deal, except there’s obviously a difference in perspective on AAV. And then when it was decided that they were going to trade Brad Marchand, I’m told they did work with him to make sure that he could go to a preferred destination.”

Kaplan didn’t specify whether it was ownership or Marchand who had a “differing perspective” from management regarding the financial aspect of the offer.

ESPN’s John Buccigross reported that Boston also offered Marchand a two-year deal worth $3 million AAV. Marchand declined each of their reported offers.

In comparison to Johnston’s report, Kaplan said remaining on the East Coast “was an important consideration” for Marchand.

He joins a Florida team that has terrorized the Bruins in recent years, and becomes teammates with Sam Bennett, a player Marchand has had issues with on the ice.

It’s worth noting that the pair did compete and win together on Team Canada during the 4 Nations Face-Off last month.

Now, they and the rest of the Panthers will seek to hoist the Stanley Cup in a few months.