Brad Marchand is getting another chance to win his second Stanley Cup championship, but this time it's not with the Boston Bruins.
Marchand and the Florida Panthers eliminated the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final on Wednesday night. The Panthers have won the Prince of Wales Trophy as East champs for the third consecutive season.
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SIGN UP HERE "It’s special," Marchand told TNT's Jackie Redmond after Wednesday's win. "You’ve been around for a while, and you realize how few opportunities you have to be part of something like this. Just enjoying every moment, very grateful for the opportunity.
"You're right: I definitely didn’t expect to be here in this jersey, but I’m very happy I am."
The Panthers will play the Edmonton Oilers or Dallas Stars in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final. The Oilers lead the Western Conference Final 3-1. Florida beat Edmonton in Game 7 of last year's Cup Final.
Marchand was dealt from the Bruins to the Panthers at the trade deadline on March 7 in exchange for a conditional 2027 second-round draft pick. That pick has since been upgraded to a 2027 (or 2028) first-rounder after both pick conditions were met.
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Marchand won the Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 2011 -- his first full season in the NHL. He also helped the Bruins reach the Cup Final two more times. The B's lost in six games to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013 and lost in seven games to the St. Louis Blues in 2019.
Marchand is 37 years old and in his 16th season, but he's still a very effective postseason player. He has tallied 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 17 playoff games for the Panthers so far, while making a positive contribution to both the power play and penalty kill.
He picked up an assist in the Game 5 clincher on Wednesday.
Marchand's resume, which includes 152 points in 174 career playoff games (second-most of any player since 2011), is already worthy of Hall of Fame induction. And if he wins another Stanley Cup with the Panthers, it will be very, very tough to make the case that he's not a Hall of Famer.