Photo credit: Jeff Romance-Imagn Images
Brad Marchand is steering Florida Panthers hockey, torching Washington Capitals defenses while his season stats stay elite.
On the ice, he is still a puck thief, first in on dump-ins and loud on the forecheck. Florida's wingers feed off that pace, and the bench follows his next shift almost automatically.
He gets under defenders' hands on entries, then snaps play back to the slot before coverage is set. Even when he doesn't score, he drags matchups into penalties and clears space for his teammates.
Through 37 games, Brad Marchand has 22 goals and 22 assists, 44 points total, and an eight-game point streak. The Panthers are 21-15-2, and he's leading their scoring without needing sheltered minutes.
He's not just riding even-strength chaos, he's driving the power play too, with four goals and 10 assists there. Paul Maurice plays him 18:39 a night, and that's real trust for a 37-year-old.
Florida locked him in on a six-year, $31.5 million contract in July, a $5.25 million AAV. He reached 1,000 career points on Nov. 13, and the Panthers will celebrate it Tuesday at home.
Brad Marchand powers Florida Panthers edge
As a fan, I love that his shifts feel annoying for opponents, because the puck rarely rests on their sticks. It is classic Marchand, but now it's wearing Florida colors.
You said yesterday, but the latest Washington game was Monday, a 5-3 win where Marchand put up a goal and an assist. He tied it 3-3, then set up Sam Reinhart on the power play.
Sunday's chaotic loss to Tampa Bay still had Marchand scoring, and it set up the eight-game run he carried into Monday's comeback against Washington.
Off the ice, he has leaned into South Florida's hockey boom, becoming a parade favorite in Fort Lauderdale and a name kids chant without irony. That matters in a market still growing its NHL roots.
Inside the room, he brings that old Bruins edge, and he keeps the mood light when the schedule tightens. You see younger Panthers play quicker when Marchand is talking them through reads.
The scary part is the consistency, he's on his 15th 20-goal season.
The scary part is the consistency, he's on his 15th 20-goal season.
At 37, he still tilts games with details, and his 22-22-44 line has Florida right in the Atlantic mix. Tuesday's 1,000-point salute should feel personal for the crowd, because he's made this place his stage.