Panthers’ Brad Marchand returns to lineup after offseason surgery

The return of the rat is upon us.

Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice has confirmed that winger Brad Marchand will make his season debut in Sunday’s road game against the Anaheim Ducks.

Marchand, 38, underwent offseason surgery to repair an unspecified injury, and was forced to miss Florida’s first two regular season games while recovering.

The Halifax, Nova Scotia native skated in 52 games for the Panthers last season, putting up 27 goals and 27 assists for 54 points to finish fourth on the team in scoring. He also played on the Canadian men’s national team in the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in February, in which he had an assist in four games.

Florida acquired Marchand from the Boston Bruins in exchange for a conditional second-round pick at the trade deadline of the 2024-25 season. He went on to play a key role in the Panthers winning their second consecutive Stanley Cup that season, notching 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points over Florida’s 23 playoff games.

Marchand is in the second season of a six-year, $31.5 million contract with the Panthers.

Initially selected by the Bruins in the third round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, Marchand played his first 16 NHL seasons in Boston, helping them win the Stanley Cup in 2011. He began his career as an effective middle-six winger that could contribute offense while getting under his opponents’ skin. In his late-twenties, however, he blossomed in to full-blown star, with his career-best campaign coming in his the 2018-19 season at the age of 30, in which he scored 36 goals and added 64 assists for 100 points, finishing fifth in voting for the Hart Trophy.

Marchand joins forwards Sam Bennett, Matthew Tkachuk, and Brady Tkachuk as skilled agitators in the Panthers’ lineup.

After Sunday’s game in Anaheim, Florida will finish up a four-game road trip against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.