"On the day of the 2025 NHL trade deadline, one of the most transformative days for the Boston Bruins in recent memory, Charlie McAvoy was stuck on his couch. The Boston defenseman was still recovering from an injury he sustained at the 4 Nations Face-Off that landed him in the hospital. The Bruins were in Tampa on a two-game trip. McAvoy and his wife watched the minutes tick down to the 3 p.m. ET deadline and breathed a sigh of relief."
"Despite rumors his team might tear it all down, the damage wasn't as bad as they had feared. "And then things started coming in after the deadline, 3:10, 3:15," McAvoy recalls. "And it's just tough. It's the nature of hockey. It's the business of the game. But there's human beings behind it all, great friends, great friends of my wife's. And it's sad. It's never easy seeing your friends move on and go to different places.""
"The deepest dagger: saying goodbye to captain Brad Marchand. It wasn't just that the Bruins parted with a player they drafted in the third round nearly 20 years ago, a feisty winger who helped them win a Stanley Cup in 2011 and a leader who matured under their watch and continued to establish the team culture. The destination was equally stunning: Florida."
Charlie McAvoy was recovering from an injury and watched the 2025 NHL trade deadline at home as the Boston Bruins traded five veteran players. The Bruins traded captain Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers, ending a nearly 20-year association. Marchand helped the Panthers win another Stanley Cup, scoring six goals including two game winners in the Final against Edmonton. Marchand continued to taunt opponents, became beloved in the Panthers' locker room, and embraced Florida's culture. The Panthers had previously upset the Bruins in 2023, won their first Stanley Cup the following season, and surged above Boston atop the hockey world.
Read at ESPN.com
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