The long-awaited reunion is finally here—Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett, together on the same squad! Marchand is officially rocking the Florida Panthers jersey, but in true Marchand fashion, he couldn’t resist stirring the pot. During his very first media appearance with the Panthers, he took a playful jab at his new teammate, Sam Bennett. These two once shared the ice at the 4 Nations tournament, and now they’re set to wreak havoc alongside Matthew Tkachuk, forming what could be one of the grittiest, most relentless lines in the league.

With Marchand shipped out of Boston at the 2025 NHL trade deadline, this fresh chapter is already off to a spicy start. Well, of course, Marchand could not resist the opportunity to recall the previous seasons encounters. When asked about Bennett, he told everyone that there was no animosity between him and Bennett from their Game 3 match last year. But right after? The man couldn’t help but throw in a Marchand zinger: “Yeah, still a scumbag.” Ouch. And now, Florida Panthers star has shrugged off Brad Marchand’s accusations while gearing up for a reunion with his 4 Nations teammate!

Sam Bennett isn’t sweating Brad Marchand’s playful jab—if anything, he’s embracing it! In a video shared by the Florida Panthers, a journalist pointed out Marchand’s signature sense of humor, mentioning, “Well, the guys in Boston love this sense of humor. I mean, today in the press conference, you got called scumbag, jokingly by him. He was just kidding. But I mean, it’s that sense of humor too, right? The gears and the teammates.” And Bennett? Oh, he was all smiles, taking it in stride like a true pro.

“Oh, yeah. I mean, it’s great. That’s what it’s all about,” he said, not missing a beat. Turns out, Marchand wasted no time stirring the pot as soon as he joined the Panthers’ group chat. “As soon as we added him in the group chat, he was chirping. His first message was a chirp right away.” But Bennett wouldn’t have it any other way. “You love that, breaks the ice, and that’s just who he is. And, you know, we’re excited to have that personality here.” Looks like the Panthers are in for a season full of classic Marchand antics, and Bennett’s here for all of it!

Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand have been at each other’s throats for years—literally. One of their most unforgettable clashes? Last season’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, when Bennett accidentally (or not-so-accidentally) caught Marchand right in the jaw, and caused him to miss Games 4 and 5. And now? Well, the hockey gods have a sense of humor because these two are officially teammates. As B/R Open Ice humorously noticed, Marchy did not shy away from having fun at his first Panthers press conference, stating that “his jaw is looking forward to playing with Bennett.”

But here is where it gets even hotter—Marchand might be wearing the Panthers jersey now, but he cannot play in the ice yet due to an injury. It does not mean, however, that he is idle. He is on the team’s bus to the next game as it travels on the road. And spoiler alert? The destination and the road trip is a little awkward.

Brad Marchand heads to an ‘awkward’ game!

Brad Marchand might be gearing up for his big Panthers debut, but hold your horses—he’s gonna have to sit tight for a bit. With his upper body injury that places him at week to week, his first game in the Florida jersey remains uncertain. But life goes on and the Panthers are not relenting. Their next stop? None other than TD Garden, where they will play against Boston Bruins on March 12. And oh boy, talk about awkward reunions.

As for Marchand himself, he said “It will be nice to go home… to see the guys and say goodbye. It will be weird to be there as an opposing team.” Yeah, no kidding! One moment, he is the embodiment of Boston; the next, he arrives with the opposing team. A bittersweet homecoming? Definitely. Awkward as hell? Oh, absolutely.

How excited are you to see Marchand in a Florida jersey on the ice? One thing is for sure. With Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk by his side, the ‘Little Ball of Hate’ is going to have a gala time getting under the skin of his opponents.