As Brad Marchand gears up for his first full season with the Florida Panthers following his six-year, $5.25 million extension, he'll be going up against familiar foes and teammates he used to go into battles with. 

Before Marchand signed a contract which likely insinuates he finishes his career in Florida, he took part in 16 seasons with the Boston Bruins. In Boston, Marchand recorded 422 goals and 976 points in 1090, winning a Stanley Cup in 2011. Marchand was more than a fan favorite in Boston, and captained the team in his final two seasons. 

The Bruins were able to extend their window to win due to Marchand's play and ability to defy father time, but the 2024-25 season finally caught up to the Bruins. They were out of a playoff spot when the trade deadline rolled around, and although there were conflicting reports about what they would do with the 37-year-old Marchand, they ultimately traded him to the Panthers. 

His arrival in Florida was everything the Panthers organization could have hoped for. His personality meshed well with the current players, and his performance during the playoffs was outstanding, as he recorded 10 goals and 20 points in 23 games. 

Although he now has experience playing away from Boston, the regular season will still likely present several challenges, including an emotionally charged game when the Panthers visit Boston on Oct. 21. 

Marchand will be overcome with emotions as previous players in his situation have, but former teammate David Pastrnak is looking forward to taking on his new foe. In an interview with Hokej.cz’s Dominik Dubovči, Pastrnak spoke about the upcoming matchup.

"I wrote him congratulations on the Cup. We played a big part of our careers together, and our wives are also great friends," said Pastrnak. "The bond is there, so of course it was difficult to see him leave. I’m not happy about the Stanley Cup for Florida, but I am happy for Marchand. Then, when he signed a big contract, I kind of let him know that I would make the first game against us a little difficult for him. I am looking forward to it. We always had tough battles together, even in practice.”

Pastrnak is one of the elite forwards in the NHL, someone with whom Marchand formed a formidable duo on and off the ice. It'll be interesting to see how the game develops and what shenanigans Marchand may get himself into against his former team.

Brad Marchand joined by Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon for Stanley Cup day in Nova ScotiaStanley Cup summer celebrations are kicking up a notch this week.

There's still just over a month until teams hit the ice for training camp, but the 2025-26 NHL regular season schedule has been known for almost a month. There are plenty of eye-catching matchups for the Ducks this season. Five of them have been highlighted as must-watch.

Hockeytown Halloween in Gibson's Return

After being traded to the Detroit Red Wings on Jun. 28 for Petr Mrázek, a 2027 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick, goaltender John Gibson will make his return to Honda Center on Oct. 31. This trade allowed Gibson to be a full-time starter again after Lukáš Dostál began to take hold of the reins during the 2023-24 season and continued to grasp onto the starting role this past season. Dostál was also rewarded with a long-term extension this summer, filling Gibson's spot both physically and financially.

The longest-tenured Duck after Cam Fowler was traded last December, Gibson was the lone remaining player from the Ducks' last playoff series in 2017-18 (Troy Terry played two games that season, but did not appear in any playoff games). Gibson ranks top in nearly every goaltending category in Ducks franchise history and is sure to receive a warm welcome.

"Something close for me (in Anaheim) was all the charity work," Gibson said during his Red Wings introductory press conference. "Gibson's Goals, the sled hockey program, that whole community. Working with them before COVID, dealing with all the hurdles that we had to navigate through COVID and now post-COVID, helping with jerseys and everything... There were a lot of unbelievable moments on the ice, but I think the people and the relationships off the ice, too, are definitely what I'll continue to remember as well."

Black Friday Matinee against LA

The Black Friday matchup against the Kings has become a staple for the Ducks in recent years, but this one will surely feel a bit weirder. Not only will it mark Brian Dumoulin's return to Honda Center, but it will be former long-time Duck Corey Perry's first time in Anaheim as a member of the Kings. While the odd sight of Perry in a non-Ducks jersey has worn off with each passing season since he was bought out by the Ducks in 2019, seeing Perry in the LA colors will be an eyesore for many Ducks fans. The crowd's reaction if Perry were to score will be something. This game will also likely be one of the last Ducks-Kings matchups for Kings captain Anže Kopitar, who reportedly will not sign another NHL contract following the end of his contract after this season.

Ovi's Last Time in Anaheim?

It's been heavily rumored that the 2025-26 season will be Alexander Ovechkin's last season in the NHL. With his contract expiring at the end of the season, he is not expected to sign an extension and will likely play his final professional seasons at home in Russia.

20 years ago, Honda Center was the site of Ovechkin's first NHL hat trick. While he did not score last season in his sole trip to Anaheim, fans will be eager to see if the NHL's new all-time goals leader can continue adding to his tally.

Kreider & Trouba Return to MSG

Both Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba had unceremonious ends to their Rangers careers, with both players traded to the Ducks after months of dysfunction in the New York organization. Trouba has not played the Rangers since being traded last December and Kreider has yet to play a single game for the Ducks because he was traded this past June.

With more than 15 combined seasons playing for the Rangers between the two players, the expectation is that both players will be greeted warmly in their return. Kreider ranks top-10 in several Rangers all-time leaderboards and Trouba captained the team for almost three seasons.

Philly CheeZesteak

The wait for this matchup will be a little longer than the rest. Trevor Zegras will return to Honda Center on Mar. 18 as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers following his trade to the Flyers on Jun. 23. It brought an end to years of trade speculation and reunites Zegras with Jamie Drysdale, who is good friends with Zegras and was traded to the Flyers for Cutter Gauthier in 2024.

Zegras was a Ducks fan favorite, well-liked because of his easy-going personality and his penchant for flair on the ice. His offensive production tailed off after consecutive 60-point seasons to begin his NHL career due to injuries and arguably less-than-ideal deployment. But Zegras did his best to become a better two-way player, something which Ducks management wanted to see more of from him.

"I've played center my whole career up until two seasons ago and I've always felt more comfortable there," Zegras said during his Flyers introductory press conference. "I think there are definitely areas that I need to work on, whether it's the faceoff circle or below the goal line or in front of the net in the d-zone. I think it was good to play the wing and learn that position and the responsibilities."

"I just try to be a good teammate, do what was asked of me and I'm gonna bring that same mindset to Philadelphia. I guess my focus has kind of shifted more towards what I can do for that team and that organization. I think what's happened in the past has made me a different person and I think I learned a lot in Anaheim. Taught me how to be a pro and I'm going to try and bring all that information that I've learned to Philadelphia."

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Like Steve Albert, author of "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Broadcast Booth," I, too, wanted to be a play-by-play announcer.

Like Brother Steve, I succeeded. Unlike Steve, my career doing play by play ended with one game. But since I remember it as if it happened yesterday, I figure you might want to listen up.

But, before I go on, lemme say that – as a young Maple Leaf fan – I devotely listened to Foster Hewitt warble over CBL-Toronto. I figured, to be a solid hockey play-by-play guy, just know when to shout, "HE SHOOTS, HE SCORES!" 

And, really, that's all there is to it. So, here's what happened – and how very wrong I was.

During the 1954-55 NHL season, I  was assistant Rangers publicist and my boss Herb Goren often would give me neat assignments, like writing the texts on the backs of Topp's hockey cards or reading through out-of-town papers for hockey stories.

It was a dream gig until one night, Herbie uttered the never-to-be-forgotten words: "How would you like to do play-by-play tonight?"

Before I could say, "You gotta be kidding!" My boss went on as follows: "The guy who does all our games for Armed Forces Radio is sick and they need somebody to call the game." 

A few seconds after my temporary case of lockjaw disappeared, I said, "Sure," and then wondered what to do next. Which was nothing.

The Blueshirts were playing Montreal that night. They were good and we weren't and what else was there to know. All our games with the Habs were delicious with thrills, win, lose or brawl.

I recall telling myself as I sat down after the National Anthem, "Just be Foster Hewitt and all will be well."

There were two issues: 1. I wasn't Foster Hewitt and 2. All was not well. At least not from the second period going forward. Ah but one play made it all worthwhile.

"Hello, this is Stan Fischler for Armed Forces Radio bringing you the Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens against the New York Rangers,."

For about five minutes the Blueshirts held them off until New York defenseman Ivan Irwin took a penalty which was bad and good. Bad because Montreal had the best power play in the league and good because Aldo Reno Guidolin, my favorite Ranger, would take the ice.

Guidolin, who wore #12, was the only player in NHL history to come from Forks Of Credit, Ontario. He was a defensive forward who didn't play that much but he did kill penalties so I gave him a big plug. (Who knew what would happen next!)

An Fascinating Revelation Via Ex-GM Craig PatrickThe Maven's Roundtable has produced varying views of former Rangers' boss Emile (The Cat) Francis. It also has spurred talk about general managers past. Here's what I mean:

"And here comes the Rangers PEERLESS penalty-killer, Aldo Guidolin." The Habs mighty power play had defenseman Doug Harvey at one point and Boom Boom Geoffrion at the other. Rocket Richard, Dickie Moore and Jean Beliveau were up front.

Beliveau won the draw and passed it back to Geoffrion at the left point. Guidolin headed straight for Boom Boom whose shot hit Aldo in the leg and bounced back toward center ice. It was at this point that The Maven lost his mind, shouting;

"IT'S A BREAKAWAY...ALDO GUIDOLIN IS IN THE CLEAR – NOBODY NEAR HIM." I inhaled and for a second wondered what my guy was doing. Aldo kept moving in from the right, too close to suit me and it looked like he was going to blow it.

"HE'S CUTTING ACROSS THE GOALMOUTH (left to right) HE SHOOTS!  HE SCORRRRRRES!" I was so overwhelmed by the end to end rush that I momentarily  wondered if I called it right, so I did it the second time to be sure.

But the Rangers still had the penalty and, in those Original Six days a team could score as many goals on a power play as the two minutes would allow. The Habs wasted no time tying the game; which brought my decibel count down by half.

By the time it was 6-1 for Montreal, you could hardly hear me – or the Blueshirts for that matter – and when the final buzzer sounded, I was secure in the knowledge that the only time I should ever do Rangers play -by-play again is when #12 scores a shorthanded goal.

P.S. Armed Forces Radio gave me a disk of the entire game. I had an extra made and gave it to Aldo and Phyllis as their wedding present. 

P.S.S. I played the breakaway segment a few times – and made sure nobody in a white coat was around – just to convince myself that it really happened. 

P.S.S.S. Guidolin and I remained close friends until his death on November 8, 2015.

Did you miss anything from the past week at The Hockey News - Columbus Blue Jackets? If you did, we have you covered with the Sunday Recap. Click on each card below to read the stories from the past week. 

From Ex-players to current players and everything in between, we've got you covered. 

71 Days Until Opening Night At Nationwide ArenaNick Foligno was traded to Columbus from the Ottawa Senators on July 1st, 2012, and that’s where the legendary story begins for him. He had already spent five years in Ottawa, racking up 148 points. It looked like it was the start of a promising career. And then in 2012, the Senators made some changes. They decided they wanted Marc Methot and sent Foligno back in exchange. Many people don’t realize that the Senators tried trading for Rick Nash just before this trade, but Nash refused to be sent to Ottawa. The Jackets signed Foligno to a three-year deal a few days after the trade. Former Blue Jackets Defenseman Comes Out Of Retirement; Signs With Kärpät Of LiigaFormer Columbus Blue Jackets 7th round draft pick, and veteran of 275 games, Markus Nutivaara has come out of retirement after missing the past several years.  70 Days Until Opening Night At NWA: Joonas KorpisaloJoonas Korpisalo was the ultimate professional while he was in Columbus. For four years, he backed up Blue Jacket great Sergei Bobrovsky and usually played well when he did it. Insider Hints At Nick Robertson For Yegor Chinakhov TradeAccording to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, the Columbus Blue Jackets and Toronto Maple Leafs could have a deal that would help both teams. 69 Days Until Opening Night At NWA: Jordan DumaisJordan Dumais was born just outside of Montreal on the island of Ille Bizard, Que. But don't let a 5-foot-9 and 174-pound frame fool you. Former Blue Jackets Legend Still Looking For A ContractFormer long time Blue Jackets forward Cam Atkinson is still unsigned and is searching for a contract in order to continue his NHL career.  Blue Jackets Biggest Trade Chips: Yegor ChinakhovAs we slowly navigate through the dog days of summer, there's likely going to be an increase in trade rumors as we creep toward the start of the 2025-26 NHL season. How Far Will The Columbus Blue Jackets Travel In The 2025-26 Season?Every NHL team travels, it's just what needs to happen when you play every team in the league. But with teams all over North America, some teams travel more than others.  James van Riemsdyk Has High Praise For Zach WerenskiJames van Riemsdyk appeared on Daily Faceoff's Morning Cuppa Hockey with Jonny Lazarus & Colby Cohen today, and had some very flattering things to say about superstar defenseman Zach Werenski.  67 Days Until Opening Night At NWA: James MalatestaIf James Malatesta can put it all together, he's going to be a force in the NHL. Blue Jackets' Biggest Trade Chips: Dmitri VoronkovThe Columbus Blue Jackets have a few big decisions to make in the next handful of months. First, Yegor Chinakhov and his public trade request will need to be dealt with. Secondly, and potentially most importantly, there was talk just hours before the 2025 NHL Draft that the organization was looking to trade Dmitri Voronkov in an attempt to land Noah Dobson. One Of Cam Atkinson's Team Records Is In Kirill Marchenko's SightsFormer CBJ legend Cam Atkinson is at the top of many stat categories for the Jackets. After all, he did play 627 games before the trade to Philadelphia.  From The Archive: To Believe Or Not To Believe? The Hockey News has released its archive to all THN subscribers: 76 years of history, stories, and features. 65 Days Until Opening Night At NWA: Luca Del Bel BelluzWhen Luca Del Bel Belluz told reporters at development camp a couple of years ago that he would be turning pro, Blue Jacket and Monster fans were excited. He had served his required time in Junior, so we knew he was on his way, but hearing him say it meant it was real. Former Monsters Forward Rumored To Be Signing In KHLFormer Monsters forward Rocco Grimaldi is rumored to be joining SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL. An Early Look At The Blue Jackets' 2025-26 Projected Opening Night RosterWe've officially entered the last month of the calendar that doesn't have NHL games in it. We are only a bit over a month away from the start of 2025 NHL training camp and then preseason. Because of that, I thought it would be fun to take an early look at what the Columbus Blue Jackets' projected opening night lineup could look like. 64 Days Until Opening Night At Nationwide ArenaThere have only been two players wear the #64 for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Unfortunately for Columbus, neither one of them made a significant impact for Columbus. Cleveland is a different story, however. 

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