David Pastrnak opened up about the emotions surrounding his clash against Brad Marchand in the Boston Bruins return, following Marchand’s trade to the Florida Panthers. The trade, finalized in March after 16 seasons with the Bruins, marked a major shift for both players and their longstanding relationship as teammates and close friends.
Brad Marchand’s Stanley Cup win last season with the Panthers was a proud highlight in his career but also a surreal moment for Boston fans and former teammates, including Pastrnak. Pastrnak, now the Bruins’ leading figure during their rebuilding phase, recalled congratulating Marchand and feeling the weight of his departure.
“Of course, I wrote him congratulations on the cup,” Pastrnak said on Tuesday, via hokej.cz. “We played a big part of our careers together, and our wives are also great friends. The bond is there, so of course it was difficult to see him leave.” —David Pastrnak
Although happy for Marchand’s personal success, Pastrnak admitted it was challenging to see him win the Stanley Cup in a Panthers jersey.
“I’m not happy about the Stanley Cup for Florida, but I am happy for Marchand,” Pastrnak said.
Before their highly anticipated matchup, Pastrnak revealed he warned Marchand he would make the game a tough one, maintaining the competitive spirit they shared for years.
“Then when he signed a big contract, I kind of let him know that I would make the first game against us a little difficult for him,” Pastrnak said. “I am looking forward to it. We always had tough battles together, even in practise.” —David Pastrnak
From the Florida Panthers’ side, the trade was viewed as a strong acquisition despite Marchand’s injury status upon arrival. Panthers general manager Bill Zito expressed confidence in Marchand’s impact on the team.
“His record speaks for itself,” Zito said in March, via NHL.com.
Meanwhile, the Boston Bruins are undergoing significant changes after missing the playoffs. Pastrnak, now 29, embraces greater responsibility as the team’s core shifts direction.
Insights on Trade Communication and Player Reactions from NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman
Leading NHL analyst Elliotte Friedman addressed the Brad Marchand trade in his 32 Thoughts podcast, highlighting challenges in how the trade details were communicated. Florida Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues mentioned the confusion caused by the delay in announcing the trade specifics.
“The next time you do a trade, you don’t wait an hour to post what the return was,” Rodrigues said.
Friedman explained that the lack of prompt information led to a flood of guesses among Panthers players in their group chat, with Matthew Tkachuk even joking about which players might have been involved.
Marchand quickly became instrumental in Florida’s playoff push, tallying 10 goals and 10 assists over 19 games, including several important game-winning goals.