Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice confirmed that winger Brad Marchand will make his season debut in Sunday’s road game against the Anaheim Ducks, according to reporting on the team’s roster moves.
Marchand, 38, underwent offseason surgery to repair an unspecified injury and missed the Panthers’ first two regular season games while recovering. The Halifax, Nova Scotia native skated in 52 games for Florida last season, recording 27 goals and 27 assists for 54 points, which finished fourth on the team in scoring. He also represented Canada at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in February, recording an assist in four games.
Florida acquired Marchand from the Boston Bruins in exchange for a conditional second-round pick at the 2024-25 trade deadline. Following the trade, he played a key role in the Panthers’ second consecutive Stanley Cup win that season, notching 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points over 23 playoff games. Marchand is in the second season of a six-year, $31.5 million contract with the Panthers.
Marchand was initially selected by the Bruins in the third round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft and spent his first 16 NHL seasons in Boston, winning the Stanley Cup with them in 2011. He transitioned from an effective middle-six winger early in his career to a full-blown star in his late twenties. His career-best campaign came in the 2018-19 season at age 30, when he scored 36 goals and added 64 assists for 100 points, finishing fifth in Hart Trophy voting.
Marchand joins forwards Sam Bennett, Matthew Tkachuk, and Brady Tkachuk as skilled agitators in the Panthers’ lineup. After Sunday’s game in Anaheim, Florida will finish its four-game road trip against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.
Key facts
- Brad Marchand makes his season debut for the Florida Panthers on Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks
- The 38-year-old underwent offseason surgery for an unspecified injury and missed the team’s first two games
- Marchand was acquired from the Boston Bruins at the 2024-25 trade deadline for a conditional second-round pick
- He scored 10 goals and 10 assists in 23 playoff games during the Panthers’ second consecutive Stanley Cup championship
- Marchand is in his second season of a six-year, $31.5 million contract with Florida