The Florida Panthers made a huge trade last season to acquire Brad Marchand from the Boston Bruins. Marchand had spent his entire career with Boston and was a huge part of that organization. In fact, he served as their captain at the time of the trade. However, Boston was struggling, and he wanted to win another Stanley Cup.
Marchand went on to win that Cup with the Panthers back in June. But there was a time when everyone expected him to close out his career with the Bruins. He did negotiate a contract with Boston leading up to the trade. However, the veteran forward has recently admitted that the talks stalled out for one particular reason.
“I was never going to take a one or two-year deal. Not even a three-year deal. That just wasn’t in the cards,” Marchand told reporters, via Boston.com reporter Conor Ryan. “I want to play as long as I can. That’s the main reason why it didn’t work out in Boston. I want to play until I get kicked out of the league.”
Panthers' Brad Marchand makes no state-tax admission
A major debate around the NHL this summer was the no-state income tax. The Panthers are one of a handful of teams in the NHL to play in a state that does not have an income tax. This has led to a debate around whether these teams have an unfair advantage.
Marchand didn't directly address this debate. However, he did admit the income tax played a role in how Florida operated this summer. Along with keeping him, the Panthers also re-signed Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad to long-term contracts.
“If we were not in a no-tax state, it wouldn’t work out, probably for two guys. Two guys probably would be leaving in that situation,” Marchand said, via Ryan. “That’s a benefit that this team has that we able to utilize and make work. I’m thrilled to be here for the next six years.”
The Panthers pulled off their trifecta this summer. And they are now gearing up for another run at the Stanley Cup. Florida begins training camp this week and will open the regular season on October 7th against the Chicago Blackhawks.
