Big question heading into NHL free agency: Will Brad Marchand re-sign with the Florida Panthers or hit the open market?
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The 37-year-old winger from Hammonds Plains is the focal point heading into the opening of NHL free agency on Tuesday, thanks to yet another epic performance in what is looking more and more like a Hall of Fame career. Marchand was front and centre in the Florida Panthers' second straight Stanley Cup win, producing nearly a point per game and taking over the dressing room with his charisma and leadership.
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It enhanced an already sterling resume ahead of his first opportunity to be an unrestricted free agent. The 16-year-veteran had always re-signed with the Boston Bruins but he's free to go wherever he wants now.
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Panthers general manager Bill Zito made it clear he wants Marchand back, saying in on-ice interviews while his team celebrated with the Cup less than two weeks ago he believes he can finesse his payroll enough to bring back the former Boston Bruins captain, along with core members Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad. Zito already completed Step 1 of that ambitious goal on Friday when he re-signed Bennett to an eight-year contract, despite the Conn Smythe winner's huge market value around the league.
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'I have an idea,' Zito said in a Saturday media session about his hope to re-sign all three stars. 'If what I think isn't accurate, and it might not be, we have a Plan B and a Plan C. But my preference, and maybe I'm hoping, is that there's enough for guys who want to stay and be part of this, be treated fairly and be happy. And that's the most important thing.'
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Zito has already made a few minor moves to massage his cap flexibility and he seems to be banking on the emotional pull for both Ekblad and Marchand. Ekblad has been a pillar for the Panthers ever since they drafted him first overall in 2014 and Marchand recently described his brief stint in Florida as 'the best few months I have ever had in my career.'
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'It's an incredible group down here,' added Marchand, who spent 15-and-a-half-seasons in Boston and won the Cup with the Bruins in 2011. 'I've loved every second of it and hopefully it can continue.'
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'I think there is a respect for the game that our group has in tandem with respect for each other,' Zito said. 'They are able to pull the fun out of whatever it is and we're really lucky, really blessed to have good people who care about each other, who love hockey and who want to win. It's pretty simple.'
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