Some shake-ups are expected, but this? Nobody had this on their bingo card. Just yesterday, the Boston Bruins slammed the door shut on an unforgettable era, bidding farewell to the last man standing from their 2011 Stanley Cup-winning squad. Brad Marchand, the heart and soul of the team, was shipped off to the Florida Panthers in a trade deadline move that had fans rubbing their eyes in disbelief. The Bruins didn’t stop there—Charlie Coyle, Justin Brazeau, Marc McLaughlin, Brandon Carlo, and Trent Frederic were all shown the exit, marking a full-on fire sale after years of heartbreak in the postseason.
The return? A second-round pick that could turn into a first if Marchand and the Panthers put in some playoff magic. But for Bruins faithful? No draft pick can replace the legacy they just lost. And now, reality is sinking in. The locker room just doesn’t feel the same, and emotions are running high. One of Marchand’s former teammates couldn’t hold back, admitting just how gut-wrenching this move feels.
The emotions were running high in the Bruins’ locker room, and Jeremy Swayman didn’t hold back when asked about the trade shake-up. In a video shared by ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, he got real about losing his captain and longtime teammates. “We’re going to miss those guys so much,” he admitted. “They laid the groundwork here, Emily, and it’s never going to be the same without them.” But while the team felt the sting, Swayman knew they had no choice but to push forward. “It has to be up to us that have been here with them to continue their legacy.”
Swayman didn’t shy away from just how brutal the trade deadline can be. One minute, you’re on the ice with your guys, the next, they’re packing their bags. “It’s tough. It’s a business and you can see that, but you know, there’s tears going when you see your boys that you’re practicing with 30 minutes earlier, and you’re just excited to go get dinner with them that night and then they’re gone.” And then, he said what every Bruins fan was thinking—“It’s not fair.” But that didn’t mean he’d let go of them completely. “They’re stuck with me for life.”
After a tough day, a big win for the Bruins on Saturday in Tampa.
Here’s Jeremy Swayman with perspective from the Boston locker room. pic.twitter.com/1jxuSDa9SN
— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) March 8, 2025
Still, the Bruins had a job to do, and they got it done with a 4-0 win against Tampa Bay Lightning where Swayman made 26 saves, and in typical fashion, he brushed it off. “You know what, it’s just a bouncing puck,” he said, reflecting on the save he made off Brandon Hagel‘s shot. But that effort, that fight? That’s exactly how the Bruins plan to honor the guys who aren’t in the room anymore.
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The post “It’s Not Fair”: Emotional Boston Bruins Star Gets Honest About Brad Marchand’s Shocking NHL Trade appeared first on EssentiallySports.
