Panthers HC reveals his intention behind constantly moving Brad Marchand around the lineup after his blockbuster trade acquisition

By Abhilasha Aditi

Modified Apr 03, 2025 04:44 GMT

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Brad Marchand joined the Florida Panthers in March after a trade from the Boston Bruins. He's in the final season of his eight-year, $49 million contract. Boston is retaining 50% of his salary.

Coach Paul Maurice is still finding the best spot for him. Instead of keeping Marchand in one role, Maurice is trying different line combinations. He did the same with Vladimir Tarasenko last year.

Marchand can play both wings and contribute to the power play and penalty kill and has 48 points (21 goals, 27 assists) in 64 games this season.

"I feel exactly the same about where he is at as I did with Vladimir Tarasenko last year. When he came in for those six weeks, I played him with everybody." Maurice said (via mapleleafshotstove.com)

"We have some moving parts right now with players out of our lineup, so that continues until we hopefully get to the playoffs. We just make a decision and go. I am trying to play him with as many people as I can."

The Panthers have injuries, so Maurice is making changes as needed. He hopes to try a unit with Marchand, Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe when everyone is healthy. For now, he's focused on using Marchand’s versatility.

"He can play both sides and up and down. He can kill penalties and help you on the power play. I am really excited about a unit with maybe him, Bennett, and Verhaeghe on it.

"There are some things that we are not going to get to try until everybody comes back, if everybody comes back. We will be patient with it," Maurice added.

Marchand was the Bruins captain before the trade. He has won a Stanley Cup and played an important role in Boston’s success. He was also a tough opponent for the Toronto Maple Leafs in past playoffs. Now, he's adjusting to a new team and helping the Panthers prepare for the playoffs.

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Paul Maurice analyzes Panthers' 3-2 loss to the Maple Leafs

The Florida Panthers lost 3-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs, extending their winless streak to three games.

Coach Paul Maurice liked most of the game but was unhappy with the first six minutes of the third period. He said that the team struggled to skate and got hemmed in but played well otherwise.

"I didn’t like the first six minutes of the third period," Maurice said. "I just didn’t think we skated, and then we got hemmed in a little bit.

"The overview is that I expected the whole game to look like that. I thought that was the way the game was going to be played, so I loved the first 40 and the last 12 or 10 minutes of the third period. I liked our game an awful lot."

The Panthers played without Aleksander Barkov, who's day-to-day with an upper-body injury. They are now four points behind Toronto in the Atlantic Division.