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The Florida Panthers are bringing back a key piece of their Stanley Cup Final-winning team. The franchise and Brad Marchand have agreed to a six-year $31.5 million contract. The two-time Stanley Cup champ will now most likely finish his career in Sunrise, Florida, but it may not be the best deal for both sides overall.
The Panthers have been busy since hosting Lord Stanley's Cup. First, they made a trade for Daniil Tarasov to be the backup goaltender. They would then bring back Sam Bennett on an eight-year extension. The front office was not done there. They then re-signed Aaron Ekblad before bringing back Marchand and Tomas Nosek. They did lose Nate Schmidt to free agency, but the core that has now gone to three straight Stanley Cup Finals and won twice is back in South Florida.
Marchand is the former 71st overall pick from the 2006 NHL Draft by the Boston Bruins. He would break into the NHL in the 2009-10 season, playing in 20 games that year and having one assist. The next season, he would break out, scoring 41 points and helping the Bruins win the Stanley Cup. Marchand would bring his game to a new level in the 2016-17 season, when he had his first 80-point season. He would score 80 or more points in five of the next six seasons and would score 20 or more goals in 12 straight seasons overall.
As the Bruins fell out of contention this past season, Marchand was traded to the Panthers. He played ten games with the team in the regular season with two goals and two assists. Still, he was dominant in the playoffs, with ten goals and ten assists in 23 games. Now, Marchand will continue his career in Florida under a new deal.
The Panthers keep a key member of their squad, but with a risk
The Panthers now have a new problem they need to work through after making some big signings. They are now $4.5 million over the salary cap and will need to shed some salary before the start of the season. With the recent flurry of re-signings, 12 of the top 13 point producers from the regular season for the Panthers are under contract, with Mackie Samoskevich still a restricted free agent. Further, the top nine point producers from the playoffs all will be back next season.
Marchand was playing on the third line in the playoffs for the Panthers and is expected to continue on that line next year. This gives the Panthers three potent lines of scoring options. He was also a member of the second powerplay unit this year. At a cost $5.25 million per year, this is slightly high priced for a third-line player, but it is a bargain for the Panthers. Over the past ten seasons, Marchand has averaged 73.8 points per year. He has declined in recent years, averaging just 62.4 points per year in the last five.
Still, a general contract guideline is $100 thousand per point of production per year. This would put a contract value of $6.2 to $7.4 million in AAV for Marchand, but he is under contract for just $5.25 million. Adding in his leadership on the ice, the value for this deal goes even higher. There is the risk of decline for Marchand at his age, but even if the Panthers can get a few solid years from the Canadian-born forward, it will be worth the risk.
Final thoughts and grade on the Brad Marchand contract
The third-round pick of the Bruins got a solid deal here. He has earned over $72 million in his NHL career and will top the $100 million mark by the end of this contract. Further, his new contract has a no-movement clause for the next three seasons, and that changes to a modified no-trade clause for the next two years after that. This gives Marchand control over his future until he decides to hang up the skates. Further, with the projected front-end heavy contract, with a large signing bonus, the forward will be protected financially if he decides to retire before the end of his deal. Marchand most likely could have gotten more on the open market, but he will get another chance to win a Cup in Florida while also being set up for the rest of his career.
For the Panthers, they got a solid deal in terms of AAV. They will have to pay out a large signing bonus, but it will be worth it for the franchise. Still, there is a risk with the length of the deal. He will have a decline at some point, and considering he will be 42 in the last year of his contract, the Panthers could have valuable cap space tied up in a player who is no longer producing. Still, to bring him back, the Panthers made a solid move here.
Panthers Grade: B+
Marchand Grade: B+
