A recent announcement just confirmed it for the Florida Panthers and ex-Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand

The former Bruin, Brad Marchand, earned himself a postseason position following his trade to the Panthers this past March during the NHL Trade Deadline, however, despite the organization's comfortable Atlantic Eastern Conference spot, recent news has revealed their first playoff round may be harder than Florida fans anticipated.

An NHL insider, George Richards, confirmed last night, Monday, April 14, that the Florida Panthers will start their Cup defense on the road this year due to their loss against the New York Rangers.

Starting on the road for the first-round is never easy, and these circumstances may be detrimental for the Panthers' overall success in the playoffs, however, it all comes down to who they will be competing against.

At this point, it is looking like the Panthers will be making their way over to Tampa, however, it has not been confirmed whether or not the team will be taking on the Tampa Bay Lightning or the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first-round just yet, but this decision will massively impact the teams ability to make it to the second-round.

Do you think the Boston Bruins' former captain, Brad Marchand, and the Florida Panthers will make it to the second-round for the 2025 NHL playoffs?

Only time will tell.