By returning to the Panthers, Marchand gets a chance to repeat as a Stanley Cup champion. The Boston Bruins dealt him to Florida at the trade deadline in March and he played a key role in the Panthers’ second straight Cup title. He finished second to teammate Sam Bennett in voting for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff most valuable player.

The Panthers have done a masterful job re-signing their own free agents this offseason. In addition to Marchand, Florida has kept top-six center Sam Bennett (eight years, $64 million) and star defenseman Aaron Ekblad (eight years, $48.8 million).

The Florida Panthers acquired Brad Marchand at the trade deadline in March with the anticipation that he would only be a rental for the rest of the season, a final piece to a hopeful second Stanley Cup championship run. He became much, much more than that.