Brad Marchand, 38, was playing in a game in Los Angeles in early October when he was high sticked and crashed into the goal post. His left knee bent at an awkward angle and was helped off ice by teammates as he was unable to put any weight on the leg.
Brad Marchand said he had never hurt his knee before, that he had no idea what to think when he went down, and that he feared it could end his season or his career.
“The injury could have been so much worse,” Brad Marchand said per ESPN. “I’ve never hurt my knee before. I thought it really could have a career-ending type deal or a season-ending thing. When I found out it was going to be, whatever, a couple of months, I was pretty happy that was the case.”
Brad Marchand was traded from the Boston Bruins to the Florida Panthers on March 7, 2025. He put up 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in 23 playoff games, including six in the Cup Final against Edmonton, and the Panthers won their second straight Cup.
Brad Marchand hungry to win more after helping Panthers to second Stanley Cup in his first season with Florida
Brad Marchand signed an eye-popping six-year, $31.5 million extension with the Panthers on June 30, 2025. He will be 43 years old when he reaches the final season of that contract.
The Athletic’s contract grades column called it “absolutely bonkers,” citing a five-year decline in regular-season production.
Brad Marchand said he hopes to dictate when his career is done rather than let an injury choose, which is why he has embraced this months-long rehab for the knee injury.
“When you win, that’s what drives you. I want to win,” Marchand said. “It’s always been about that. … The longer you play, you realize that you may think that you are going to have multiple opportunities throughout your career — and I’ve been fortunate enough to have a few — but you may never have another one. The older I get, I realize how little time I have left, and you want to make the most of it.”
Brad Marchand said he expects to return within the next six weeks, potentially a bit less.
Edited by Srihari Anand
