‘It’s the end of era,’ might be among the most overused phrases, no matter what the context. Yet, the same phrase fits perfectly in the case of Brad Marchand and the Boston Bruins. Unfortunately, for Marchand and the fans, that 16 season era came to a close in a hectic dash, on the final day of the 2025 trade deadline. In fact, the fans didn’t even get time to process what happened.

Insider Chris Johnston shocked fans with his post on the final day. He said “Teams calling with interest aren’t being told ‘no’ right now,” and just hours later, Brad Marchand was gone. Bruins GM Don Sweeney made it official at the Warrior Ice Arena. And thus ended Marchand’s pursuit of reaching the 1000-point milestone with the Bruins. What’s worse? He had come excruciatingly close.

It was one of those things Bruins fans realized when the trade was done and dusted, and they’d lost their captain of 16 seasons. “Marchand was going to hit 1000 points with the Bruins. Only 24 points away,” a Bruins fan posted on X, lamenting just how close he had come. Meanwhile, NHL.com confirmed that number.

“The forward finished his career in Boston with 976 points (422 goals, 554 assists) in 1,090 games,” read the official report after the 36-year-old crossed over to the Panthers. And it’s not like one of the oldest Bruins players wasn’t invested in crossing that milestone. Let’s not forget how emotional he got when he crossed the 1000-games mark.

“I was [emotional],” the 36-year-old confessed when reflecting how it felt standing on the blue line inside the TD Garden on the day of his 1000th game. However, there is another thing the Canadian star said that stood out. “It’s something I wanted to achieve but again, there’s bigger goals and dreams,” explained Marchand, and it’s that attitude that he carried inside while bidding adieu to his old club. A decision that wasn’t easy for everyone involved in the trade.

Trading Brad Marchand was the last resort

GM Don Sweeney explained that the Bruins and Marchand tried to reach an agreement as the player neared unrestricted free agency. Marchand wanted to stay, and the Bruins wanted to keep him, but unfortunately, neither side could reach a contract agreement. Hence, the last moment decision to trade the 36-year-old in exchange for a draft pick.

“That one goes back a long way for me and cuts deeper than any player I’ve gotten the privilege,” Sweeney explained to reporters. “That’s the decision that was made, and we had to make a really, really difficult decision,” he added. However, while Brad Marchand could never reach the 1000-point milestone with the Bruins, the Panthers are delighted to have him.

Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito said so after acquiring the veteran ice hockey star. “I haven’t even spoken to him yet, we just did the trade call… We’re thrilled to have him aboard,” explained the GM. While he’s expecting good things from the trade, the Panthers were not really prepared to take in a player at the last moment.

So despite praising the former Boston Bruins captain, the Panthers GM explained they’ll have to wait and see how Marchand best fits into the lineup. Who do you think things will turn out for the NHL star moving forward? Let us know in the comments.