Probably the most notable commerce deadline additions has but to debut along with his new crew. When the Panthers made a last-second transfer to amass Bruins star winger Brad Marchand on March 7, the Boston captain was nursing an upper-body damage sustained the weekend prior. He’s been sometimes practising along with his new crew as he nears a return to play, which Florida head coach Paul Maurice mentioned may very well be Friday’s recreation in opposition to Utah, by way of team reporter Jameson Olive.
It’s not a set deal, and there received’t be a transaction prefacing it as Marchand isn’t on injured reserve. He final performed on March 1, when a success from Penguins defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph despatched him awkwardly into the boards after which to the locker room.
“He has been on the ice for just a little bit now,” Maurice told reporters. “That is most likely the benefit to 4 days (off) in that we do not lose one other recreation. We’ll get him by means of a full follow (Thursday) and make an evaluation. However we’re taking pictures for Friday in opposition to Utah proper now.”
Earlier than the damage and subsequent commerce, Marchand had his worst offensive marketing campaign in a decade. After all, the ever-consistent winger was nonetheless on tempo for a decent 63 factors, not an enormous drop-off from final yr’s 67 and nearly to be anticipated given Boston’s basic offensive struggles this season. He’s nonetheless a bona fide top-six ahead, particularly on a Florida crew that’s needed to deploy names like depth pivot Jesper Boqvist and rookie Mackie Samoskevich in second-line roles as of late with Marchand and Matthew Tkachuk on the shelf. Whether or not he will get a glance on the highest line with Aleksander Barkov stays to be seen, however on the very least, he ought to slot in because the Cats’ second-line left wing alongside Sam Bennett — a duo of pests that may seemingly land Tkachuk on the proper aspect when he’s ready to return.
“We’re not jamming these guys again on their first out there day,” Maurice continued. “We’re not bringing them in early. If (Marchand) says he desires just a few extra days, we’re good with that.”
Some excellent news on the damage entrance is a welcome change of tempo for the Panthers, who’ve additionally had their blue line decimated by a suspension to Aaron Ekblad and an injury to Dmitry Kulikov. They’ve gone 3-4-0 of their final seven consequently, dropping again right into a tie with the Maple Leafs for first place within the Atlantic Division — a tiebreaker that Toronto at present holds with 4 extra wins in regulation and time beyond regulation. They’re scoring 2.29 objectives per recreation over that stretch, far beneath their season common of three.23.
