BOSTON – The last of⁢ an era has departed.

Over the years, the veterans of the 2011 championship team have​ moved on. Through trades, retirements, and even Hall of Fame inductions, they’ve left the NHL, one by one, to join team management, coaching staffs, or broadcasting roles.

Throughout it all, Brad Marchand remained a constant in Boston. ⁤He witnessed his former linemates and teammates hang up their skates, becoming the final piece of a prosperous decade for ⁢the Boston Bruins. He matured, evolved into a 100-point scorer, and formed part of hockey’s top line‌ with Patrice Bergeron and ​David Pastrnak, eventually earning the captaincy.

But on Friday, it all came to an‍ end. Marchand, who spent all 16‌ of his NHL seasons with the ⁤Bruins and‌ hoped to ⁢remain in his adopted city for⁤ the remainder of his career, was traded to‍ the Florida Panthers. He packed his bags on a day when the team liquidated as many assets ⁤as possible, signaling a reset without fully committing to a⁤ complete rebuild.

General Manager ⁢don Sweeney stated,⁣ “We saw the chance in front of ⁣us to go in another direction, without tearing it all down. That’s not part of the DNA of this organization, and it never will be.”

Marchand was traded in exchange for a conditional second-round ​pick in the 2027 draft that could become a frist-round pick in 2027 or 2028 if Florida wins ‌two rounds in the 2025 Stanley Cup​ playoffs and ​if Marchand ⁢plays in 50% of the team’s games.The Bruins retained⁢ 50% of his salary.

The Bruins also traded center Charlie Coyle to the Colorado Avalanche and defenseman Brandon⁢ Carlo to the Maple Leafs of Toronto on Friday, after trading forwards Trent Frederic to the Edmonton Oilers on​ Tuesday and Justin Brazeau to the Wild of Minnesota on‌ Thursday. The team has essentially liquidated its assets in an attempt to revitalize itself,just ​two seasons after setting NHL records for wins (65) and points (135) in 2022-23.

Now, only six players from that edition remain: David Pastrnak, Jeremy ⁣Swayman, Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, Pavel Zacha, and Jakub Lauko, who was brought back to Boston ⁣in the Brazeau trade.

The fall has been brutal.

To go far‍ during all those ‌years, notably in ⁣2019 when the Bruins reached Game‌ 7 of the‌ Stanley ‌Cup Final before losing to the St. Louis Blues, and during the⁢ 2022-23 season, the Bruins had to sacrifice several draft picks. The prospect pool was thin.

Today, they must try to catch up.

Sweeney admitted, “The effects are starting to be felt. You have to be able to take a step back at times. Did we no this morning that we were going to ⁤make all these transactions? No. ​But we were ready if we ​were ⁣offered ​something we⁣ liked.”

“Despite everything, it’s a difficult thing to do. But the message is clear: we haven’t ⁢torn down the team.”

Marchand, who will miss three to four ‌weeks of activity due to an upper-body injury, according to Sweeney, could become an unrestricted free agent ‍after the season. Although the two sides‌ had been in contract discussions since last July, the Bruins concluded that the gap in negotiations was too wide to reach an agreement. Marchand, who will turn 37 on May 11, has said he would like to play until⁤ he is at least 40 years old.

“There was ‌a gap in our negotiations, from day 2 of the opening of the free ⁤agent ⁢market, regarding his intentions and the duration (of the contract). There has always⁢ been disagreement about the duration. we thoght we⁤ had been able to come together, but again, a player has every⁣ right to see what the market can ‌offer him and what is best for him.I ‍must always respect that.”

This led Sweeney to “make the very, very difficult decision to give Brad another chance with a very good​ team. He can then ‌make a decision on what is best for him going forward.”

He added that the door is ‌not closed ⁣for a return this summer.

The forward finished his​ career⁢ in boston with 976 points (422 goals, ⁤554 assists) in 1090 games, after being drafted​ in the third round (71st overall) in 2006. He ranked fourth in Bruins history for games played and⁤ goals, sixth for assists, fifth for points, second⁣ for game-winning goals (82), and first for​ shorthanded goals (36).

Sweeney affirmed, “It goes back a⁢ long way for me, and it touches me‌ more deeply⁤ than any player. I had the privilege of knowing him and seeing him flourish and become a Hall of Famer ‍and ​one of ‌the greatest Bruins players​ of all time. It’s a difficult day on⁤ a personal and professional level.I ‍had to make very difficult ⁤decisions.”

With​ the draft picks ​and prospects they obtained on Friday, the Bruins hope to acquire a new wave of talent that can lead them to the playoffs, which is unlikely this season. ⁢Before Friday’s games,the Bruins were three points behind the second wild-card spot,with three teams between them and the Ottawa Senators.

These difficult decisions came with doubts on Friday. ⁢Questions arose about ⁣whether such a notable move‌ was necessary.

Sweeney explained, “These are questions you ask yourself as a manager to chart the right path.‌ if ⁣we come back with the same ⁢group, are we risking repeating the same mistakes? Have we improved enough? Can ⁢we continue to improve? You reach the tipping point when you make that decision and accept that you’ve had a good run, but you haven’t reached the⁤ ultimate goal.”

“We were close, almost as close as if we had played in overtime in⁣ that Game 7 (in 2019 against the Blues). These‍ players are extraordinary, and they have been true Bruins. now, we need to find another wave of players to see if ​we can get back to that level.And I ⁤don’t think we’ll be ​very‍ far from the competitive team‌ we ⁢should have been this year.”

A new version of ​the Bruins will take to ‌the ​ice on Saturday to face the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena. The Bruins will ⁤be a lesser ​team, one that will try to make it to the end of the season, and will ⁤have to face a club that‌ has stocked up on ammunition to prepare for a long playoff run.

For a long time,that’s what the Bruins were.That’s no longer the case⁤ today.

That era is over.

Sweeney envisioned, “We’re going to be jealous of the ‍teams we’re ⁤going to face.‍ We’ve already been in that situation where we⁢ were adding elements. If we had done our job, if I had done my job correctly, right ‍now, we would be adding players as was the case in recent years.”

It’s the complete opposite, and ​Sweeney had to call his two assistant captains, Pastrnak‌ and McAvoy, on Friday to tell them that their teammates and friends⁤ were ⁤leaving, that the​ team wasn’t good enough, and that the future ⁢wasn’t bright.

Sweeney did not want ‍to disclose the content of these conversations, but it would be easy⁣ to ‌believe that ⁤McAvoy,​ who expressed last offseason that it was⁤ time for this generation of ‍Bruins players to win ⁤the Cup,​ must ⁤not be very ⁢happy with this new direction. He even posted ⁣a message on Instagram with broken ⁢hearts following the⁤ numerous departures of the ⁤afternoon.

Sweeney concluded, “We know that this is somewhat of a step ⁢back because we haven’t lived up to what we should have ⁤been this season. But the goal is to‍ do things right‍ and make the right decisions for our future. Today is part ​of that. We are trying to make sure that we are competitive again in⁤ the near future.”