The Florida Panthers have won the Eastern Conference for the third straight year. With the Stanley Cup Final ahead, Florida is preparing to defend their title with some new faces on the squad. Brad Marchand is one of them, who joined the Panthers at this year's NHL trade deadline. He spoke with NHL.com and said he isn't nervous about his first Cup Final since 2019 and isn't taking it for granted.

“I honestly feel less stressed now going into this Final than I did in the first round of the last five playoffs I was in,” Marchand told Amalie Benjamin. “I’m just so excited for it. I’m not nervous about it at all. At the end of the day, however it plays out, it’s going to play out.”

Marchand was on one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference for most of the season. The Bruins struggled all season long and finished last in the Atlantic Division. Then, the Panthers scooped him up in a last-minute trade deadline deal. Just a few months later, he finds himself in his fourth Stanley Cup Final, seeking his second title.

At 37 years old, Marchand knows that this could be his last shot. “Statistically, it’ll most likely be my last one; hopefully it’s not, but that’s just how this game works. I’m just going to enjoy every second of it.”

Brad Marchand has been key for the Panthers

Florida Panthers pose with the Prince of Wales Trophy as they advance to the finals after wining against the Carolina Hurricanes in game five of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center.
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Paul Maurice said recently that this Panthers squad is the best team he has ever coached. That includes last year's Stanley Cup Champions and the 2002 Hurricanes that made the Cup Final. A massive part of that has been Marchand, who has 14 points in 17 games in the postseason.

Marchand's best game as a Panther was in Game 7 of the second round, when he vanquished the Maple Leafs once again. He scored a goal and added two assists in the blowout win, which he then claimed was not that big of a game. Marchand's house money attitude has been on display all spring, and it has helped Florida.

The Panthers are facing the Oilers again in the Stanley Cup Final and have a new toy to show off in Brad Marchand. His Cup Final history is checkered in his three previous appearances. He scored seven points in a seven-game win over the Canucks in 2011. Marchand was held scoreless in six games against the 2013 Blackhawks. But against the Blues in 2019, he had five points in seven games.

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final is on Wednesday.