The Florida Panthers missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2018–19 season. During exit day, Brad Marchand shared his thoughts on the disappointing result. Now, fans online are calling him out for his remarks.
Marchand dealt with a lower-body injury for much of the 2025–26 season, limiting him to 52 games with the Panthers.
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Florida Panthers injuries
Despite playing through injury, Marchand recorded 54 points, including 27 goals and 27 assists. Those numbers ranked him fourth on the team in points and second in goals. He wasn’t the only Panther affected by injuries this campaign. Team captain Aleksander Barkov missed the entire season. Sam Reinhart, Anton Lundell and Matthew Tkachuk also missed significant time.
On Wednesday, the Panthers closed out their season with an 8–1 win over the Detroit Red Wings.
Brad Marchand playoff remark
On Thursday, they held their season-ending exit interviews. During his media availability, Marchand addressed the team’s failure to reach the playoffs.
“At the end of the day, what’s the difference between losing in the finals and not making the playoffs? You don’t win. There’s one winner, and everyone else is a loser… It gives us more time to prepare for next year and become an even better team,” he told reporters.
Fans are not happy
His comments quickly drew criticism from fans online.
“I’m sure fans around the league would love that they don’t get to watch playoff hockey… the entire reason to play… a chance to win it all,” one fan wrote on X.
“So many of these players don’t care one bit about the people who write their checks (the fans). They are so clueless and/or selfish. He’s welcome to his opinion, but don’t tell fans you don’t care about them,” another added.
“Ask your boss how they feel about no playoff revenue in a joke market,” a third fan commented.
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