Surprise Western Conference Team Made Big Push to Acquire Brad Marchand

It still looks strange to see Brad Marchand in a Florida Panthers jersey. The hockey world was stunned when the Boston Bruins did the unthinkable, trading their captain at the deadline. He landed with the Panthers, but another warm-weather team made a big pitch for him, according to insider Elliotte Friedman on his 32 Thoughts podcast on Wednesday:

One thing I did hear on Tuesday, was that I think the (Los Angeles) Kings were one of the teams that took a real run at Brad Marchand. He wanted to go to Florida and ended up in Florida, but I think (the Kings) were one of the teams during the season that tried to get him.

A report from fellow insider Chris Johnston back at the deadline suggested a trade "to the West" is what the Bruins were aiming for.

But despite not being in agreement on his worth on a new contract for the Bruins, GM Don Sweeney at least wanted to do right by him in sending him to the team of his choosing. Marchand was set to become an unrestricted free agent after 16 seasons as the face of the Bruins, but the two sides could not agree on the right amount and/or term for an extension, so the B's relented and moved him to Florida, his first choice.

How would Brad Marchand have helped the LA Kings this postseason?

The Kings, who are heading their separate ways for the summer after yet another first round defeat at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers, could certainly have used Marchand's grit and grind as well as leadership in the first-round, as they couldn't hold a 2-0 series lead, watching Edmonton run off four straight victories to eliminate them.

One has to wonder if GM Rob Blake would still be around if he had been able to persuade Marchand to head west to Hollywood. Blake and the Kings "mutually" decided to part ways on Monday. Will the new GM, whomever that may be, try to take another stab at convincing Marchand to come to LA, this time as a free agent?

Everything and anything is on the table as the Kings reconstitute their front office.

"They've got some big extensions they might have to deal with," added Friedman. "So you always wonder about how they view their cap situation, but it wouldn't surprise me if they tried to be aggressive (on the free agent market)."