Trading Brad Marchand was always on the table for the Bruins. But trading him to a recent playoff rival who he has history with came as a bit of a surprise.

The Boston Bruins and Brad Marchand couldn't agree on a new contract extension before ultimately trading him to the Florida Panthers.

Marchand will not play for the Panthers right away, with general manager Bill Zito reiterating the Bruins’ timeline of “week to week” after Marchand sustained an upper-body injury in the first period of Boston’s 3-2 win at the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 1.

Marchand wanted to play his entire career in Boston. His leadership and the team’s culture was something new Bruins always said they had admired from afar and made them want to be part of the organization. That doesn’t mean the Bruins should have caved to any demand Marchand made, but trading him will be noticed.

The Panthers added talent and depth to their team with the acquisition of Marchand and defenseman Seth Jones, a five-time All-Star. Back-up goalie Vitek Vanecek and face-off specialist Nico Sturm also were acquired in trades from San Jose.

In a shocking move, the Boston Bruins have reportedly traded team captain Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers.

The Florida Panthers welcomed the arrival of Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand in a Friday trade that adds even more grit and experience to the Stanley Cup champions' roster.

Some of the wildest NHL trades tend to come through just at or even after the deadline, and this is absolutely a wild one. According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Fri

Vitek Vanecek stopped all 21 shots he faced in his Florida debut, and the Panthers beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-0.