Brad Marchand has firmly established his presence in Florida, now celebrating his status as a two-time Stanley Cup champion.
The Panthers' decision to acquire Marchand from Boston at the trade deadline for a single first-round pick proved to be a masterstroke. His six crucial goals against Edmonton during the finals showcased not only his scoring ability but also his leadership on the ice.
Victory in Game 6 on Tuesday night saw Marchand reveling in the moment alongside his teammates, a grin plastered across his face.
"Everything has to line up perfectly," Marchand remarked, reflecting on his unexpected journey. "My situation's a perfect example of that. Like, I shouldn't have been here. But it worked out, and I'm enjoying the hell out of it."
At 37, Marchand had contemplated a return to a lesser role but instead thrived on the third line with young talents Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen.
"I truly don't think we win a Stanley Cup without him," said Sam Bennett, the leading playoff goal-scorer and Conn Smythe Trophy winner. "His leadership, his will to win, it's inspiring. I was telling him before every game, 'We're going to follow you.' And we did. He was a dog every night."
Marchand lifted the Cup again, 14 years after his first triumph with the Bruins in 2011 against Vancouver. Notably, he scored two spectacular goals in Game 5 at Edmonton, propelling the Panthers forward in a heavyweight showdown.
"He's been amazing for us all playoffs," teammate Matthew Tkachuk noted. "He seems to keep finding another gear. The more important the game, the better he is."
Feeling at home with his new team, Marchand expressed a sense of belonging.
"We just had that fire. We knew we had something special," he said. "It's such an incredible culture and everyone that's come in here, it's like we've been here a lot longer than a few months. It's a family. Guys love each other in this room. You buy into it immediately. Guys embrace you. It's incredible."
The acquisition of Marchand was a last-minute decision. Coach Paul Maurice was preparing to leave the practice facility when general manager Bill Zito suggested, "What about Brad Marchand?"
"If he had asked that a year and a half ago, I would've thought he was joking," Maurice admitted. "But he's been able to find these players that we didn't think were possible and he's been able to get these deals done. When he fired that out, I think there was a bit of a pause, his face was serious, everybody nodded and that's it."
Securing Marchand for what became a first-round pick appears to be a steal, even if he departs as a free agent this summer. His fit within the team was seamless and instrumental in the Panthers' back-to-back championships.
"He just happened to be the perfect style of player to take that line to a completely different level, and that's where our need was," Maurice explained. "What Bill has always done here in my experience, he's identified the need and filled the hole."
On the ice, Marchand brought an invigorating energy and perhaps completed the puzzle for the Panthers. His trademark chatter kept spirits high and filled any silence when needed.
"With Brad, the whole room knows, so there's no secrets of what he is as a player, as a competitor," Zito stated. "Getting to know him a little bit more as a human, he's more special than I could have imagined on that front as a teammate and as a character human. From that standpoint, it was like frosting on the cake."
As for his future?
"We'll see what happens here soon," Marchand said before heading off to celebrate.
