It’s an adieu to the Bruins but an embrace to Florida for Brad Marchand. Brad was emotional as he left the Bruins after being traded to the Florida Panthers. He wanted to stay, but the GM team did not compromise, as the rumors suggest. But that doesn’t mean letting go of the fans and fandom that Brad built over these incredible 16 years.
And guess what? This time, Brad bypassed the Bruins management to convey his emotional message to his fans. He went to Boston Media to express his warm message to his fan clan. Brad Marchand, the former Bruins captain, placed a full-page advertisement on Monday, March 10, to pen down a heartfelt thank-you note to his fans, saying, “We are Bostonians now and forever.”
His letter reads, “Thank you for welcoming me into this great city when I was just a young Canadian kid looking to break into the best league in the world. You allowed me to achieve my dream of playing in the National Hockey League and winning the Stanley Cup.” He went on to say, “For this I am forever grateful. You also embraced me from day one and immediately brought me into your family. Since that time, I have become a husband and a father to a beautiful family. My family is now your family: We are Bostonians now and forever,” as the Boston Globe quotes.
Marchand arrived in Boston back in 2006 and made his debut in 2009. He was one of the most decorated players on the team and the only remaining link to their Stanley Cup victory. Last Friday, the Bruins let go of their captain and traded him to the Florida Panthers.
Brad Marchand chose Florida Panthers to be placed on the East Coast and be with his family
The brouhaha is just getting deeper following the aftermath of Brad getting traded to the Florida Panthers. ESPN’s Emily Kaplan has now dropped a commotion by mentioning that the Bruins ‘worked’ with Brad while trading him to the Florida Panthers. Emily shared the insight on her X from ABC pregame, where she dropped the deets.
Bruins and Brad, as the names are synonymous, Emily adds, “The Bruins are always gonna view Brad Marchand as family, he is a legacy player.” It’s worth noting here that the team initially offered Brad a three-year deal in February. However, the gap was within AAV, and perspectives differed there. Following that, the team ‘worked’ with Brad so that he could be traded to his favourable team. And Florida has been his preferred destination, as we all know.
But here’s the catch! One of the prime reasons Brad chose to go with the Florida Panthers is to be placed on the East Coast, where he could be with his family.
Some rumours have been fuming that Bruins offered Brad a pay cut. However, Elliotte Friedman’s report says otherwise. His statement reads, “His current AAV is 6.125 [million]. I’m certain the offer was not below that. Now, how much more than that it was, I don’t know, but I am certain the offer was not below that. Marchand was not being asked to take a pay cut. However, there was a gap. There was a sizable gap. Nobody out there would confirm to me what the gap was, but I think that the Bruins reached the line. It’s kind of the same thing as the Lightning with [Steven] Stamkos. They reached a line and they said, ‘This is as far as we’re going to go.” So, what is the plausible possibility here? Brad has been settling with a team-friendly contract over the past years, and now he is unwilling to sign anything under the market value.
So, technically, if we see, it has been a pay cut that Brad agreed upon for so many years! And now he claims ‘market value,’ there is nothing wrong and that it, Very well-deserved. It’s instead a pity that Bruins wasn’t willing to pay their ‘captain’ the ‘legacy player’ as they call him!
The post Brad Marchand Snubs Bruins to Send Farewell to Boston Fans appeared first on EssentiallySports.
