“We are shooting for Friday against Utah right now,” were the words of the Panthers’ coach, Paul Maurice, as he was hopeful about the return of Brad Marchand on the ice. The NHL veteran was traded from the Bruins to the Panthers on trade deadline day, leaving the hockey world stunned. Although it came as a surprise to many, the move was coming after Marchand didn’t have the best of seasons with the Bruins this time around. As he is all set to make his debut for his new team, Bruins’ fans expressed their anger on social media.

Marchand, who is a Stanley Cup winner with the Bruins in 2011, has been away from the action due to an injury. Soon after his switch to the Panthers, Marchand suffered an upper-body injury and has yet to feature in a game for the Bruins. However, he has recovered well and could feature as soon as tomorrow’s game against Utah Hockey Club, as confirmed by the Panthers’ coach, Maurice.

He revealed, “He has been on the ice for a little bit now. That’s probably the advantage to four days (off) in that we don’t lose another game. We’ll get him through a full practice (Thursday) and make an assessment.” While Maurice was confident about Marchand’s debut, it didn’t go down well with the Bruins’ fans, who had been reeling from the trade of their veteran player.

Bruins fans can’t keep calm as Brad Marchand nears Panthers debut

Both the Panthers and the Bruins are mirror reflections of each other, as far as the standings are concerned. While the former are placed second in the Atlantic Division, the Bruins sit second-to-last in the same division. With the Stanley Cup Playoffs race intensifying, the Bruins’ fans weren’t happy that Marchand would feature in the Panthers’ lineup. As a result, a fan wrote, “Can we just deny it at littleeee bit longer?” The fan hoped that Marchand’s absence could result in a slip-up for the Panthers, affecting their playoff chances.

On the other hand, a section of the fans was also angry as they wouldn’t be able to watch Marchand in action in his first game for the Panthers. With the game being broadcast on the NHL Network instead of ESPN, a fan sarcastically wrote, “Guess nobody is watching! thanks nhl network.” While there has been a huge uproar over the broadcasting of NHL matches, this latest setback further adds to the misery of the fans. Meanwhile, one of the Twitter users also had a bizarre analogy over Marchand’s return. “Everyone loves a villain redemption arc,” a fan said, remembering his antics on the ice.

Similarly, Marchand is known for his fiery attitude on the ice and hardly gives anything away to his opponents. With Marchand all set for the action, a fan said, “Looks like Brad is getting the tongue ready for game action.” Marchand will make a comeback after being away from the action for almost a month and he can’t wait to return on the ice. Amid this, a fan was unconcerned with Marchand’s debut for the Panthers. While dismissing his return, the fan wrote, “Who cares? He sucks.” The Bruins fan wanted to completely disregard Marchand’s debut for the Panthers.

With Marchand nearing his full fitness, it is only a matter of time before he steps onto the ice and shows glimpses of his best form. Can he come back strongly and help his team enter the next round? Let us know your views in the comments below.