Marchand expected to make debut for Panthers against Utah 

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Brad Marchand is expected to make his debut for the Florida Panthers against the Utah Hockey Club on Friday (7 p.m. ET; Utah16, SCRIPPS, NHLN, SNW, SNO, SNE).

Marchand, who was acquired from the Boston Bruins on March 7 for a conditional second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft, has been out since March 1 with an upper-body injury. He had been considered week to week but has been skating with the Panthers since March 11.

He practiced again with the Panthers on Thursday.

"We expect him to get into this game, we expect him to play for us," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said following the morning skate on Friday.

"We should say, we'll get him through warmups and see, but he has healed past that. We expect him to play. … He has had an incredible career, is a Stanley Cup champion, has played [over] 1,000 games, has lots of points -- but I don't want to see all of that in one game."

Marchand played 16 seasons with the Bruins and has 976 points (422 goals, 554 assists) in 1,090 games, including 47 points (21 goals, 26 assists) in 61 games this season. He won the Stanley Cup in 2011 and was named captain prior to last season.

"Such a great guy. I was new in Boston last year and he really helped me by talking to me and what he did on the ice," said Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist. "When you are out there, all you want to do is win, and he will be that guy for us. We're so happy to have him. It's going to be unreal to watch him. He is awesome, and he is still going strong.''

Marchand will play right wing on the second line centered by Sam Bennett, with rookie Mackie Samoskevich at left wing.

"It has been a lot of fun, Brad is such a good player," Samoskevich said. "So silky. When he has the puck, he sees you. He has eyes on the back of his head. I am excited for a future with him. He's such a great guy off the ice, too. I am enjoying it."

Marchand, who had 47 points (21 goals, 26 assists) in 61 games with the Bruins this season, joined the Panthers in Sunrise a day after the trade, and traveled with them on their first road trip, which began in Boston.

He has been practicing with his new teammates ever since.

"Everyone is going to watch everything he does," Maurice said. "Fans, but players on the bench, too. You see it during practice when Brad did something with the puck or scores a goal, everyone on the ice saw it."

Although Maurice said he thinks Marchand would rather have jumped right into the action, getting a couple of weeks to acclimate and settle in with his new team may have been beneficial.

"We have had our new players in all of our pregame meetings, whether they played or not," Maurice said. "So, he knows what we have been talking about the past two weeks because he has been in all the meetings. That should help him in knowing his reads, and where we're at."

The Panthers (43-25-3), who are tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning for second in the Atlantic Division, one point behind the Toronto Maple Leafs, have 11 games remaining in the regular season.

"He brings a lot, obviously the leadership, and big-time energy,'' said Florida forward A.J. Greer, who was Marchand's teammate with the Bruins during the 2022-23 season. "He has been in big situations and everyone respects him. He is really acclimated to the kind of game we play so, for us, we're just going to let him do his thing. We know he is going to have success here. He is built for what we have, he is built for the game that we play."