For Brad Marchand, it has been one hell of a wild ride since March. While being forced to leave Boston because of an unsuccessful trade talk was indeed painful for the longtime Bruins captain, he probably didn’t mind where he ended up. And now, one Stanley Cup later, the 37-year-old might be looking to extend his stay in Sunrise, Florida. However, Sam Bennett could play the unprecedented spoilsport.
“These are the best few months I have ever had in my career,” Marchand said about how he’s become fond of the Panthers despite spending only a short time with the Mimi team. His words would underscore a keenness of looking to keep the collaboration from ending on July 1, when unrestricted free agency kicks in for the veteran. But that desire could be in the backseat right now, thanks to Bennett’s latest career update.
The 2025 Conn Smythe Trophy winner was re-signed by the back-to-back Stanley Cup-winning NHL team in a massive 8-year $64 million deal. While it’s understandable as to why the Panthers wanted to retain this year’s Stanley Cup Finals MVP for the next few years, it just might have also created a financial headache for the South Florida heavyweights, as The Hockey News‘ Armando Velez noted in a post on X from June 27.
“Panthers now have $11M in cap space to fill out 6 roster spots,” Velez highlighted in his social media update. Those are two polar opposite figures right there! Especially when you consider that the Panthers would still want to hold on to Marchand, whose last contract with the Bruins came with a $6.13 million AAV. Obviously, after a standout performance through the 2025 playoffs, you’d imagine the Canadian’s performance would warrant a beefier contract, and at this point, it’s hard to tell if the Cats got a pocket deep enough to pull that off.
Panthers now have $11M in cap space to fill out 6 roster spots. #TimeToHunt
— Armando Velez (@Mandoman12) June 27, 2025
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