Mark your calendars for Oct. 21, Boston Bruins fans. That’s the day Brad Marchand is coming home.
The longtime Bruins great will make his return to TD Garden as a member of the Florida Panthers highlighting the Bruins’ 2025-26 season, which was unveiled Wednesday.
Marchand, who won the Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 2011, was traded to Florida at the trade deadline. He went on to win the championship for the second time in his career as a member of the Panthers in 2025.
The Bruins missed the playoffs in 2025 for the first time since 2016. The 2025-26 season will be Boston’s first under coach Marco Sturm, who was hired to replace Joe Sacco on June 10.
When Does Brad Marchand Come To Boston?
The Bruins’ home opener will be Oct. 9 against the Chicago Blackhawks. But less than two weeks later, Marchand will play his first game at TD Garden since Feb. 27 — Marchand was injured when the Bruins traded him to Florida.
Even though he only wore the ‘C’ for 143 games in a Bruins uniform over the course of two seasons, Marchand is one of the most beloved players in Boston history. But he signed a six-year contract worth a reported $31.5 million to likely finish his career in Florida.
Marchand’s return trip to Boston will be one of three meetings between the Panthers and Bruins during the 2025-26 season.
But that will be his lone game at TD Garden barring a Stanley Cup playoff series between the Panthers and Bruins.
Outside of the game in Boston, the Bruins and Panthers will play Feb. 4 in Boston’s final game before the 2026 Olympics break. The Bruins also will head to South Florida for a game against the Panthers on April 2.
Do The Bruins Play An Outdoor Game This Year?
The Bruins will play their sixth regular-season outdoor game and the second in the state of Florida when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning on Feb. 1, 2026 at Raymond James Stadium — the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Playing in their sixth game will pull the Bruins into a tie for second-most outdoor games among NHL teams. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers each have played in six outdoor games, which only trails the Blackhawks (7) — the Rangers will also play their sixth outdoor game, Jan. 2, against the Florida Panthers in the 2026 NHL Winter Classic.
The Bruins’ outdoor game in Tampa will be one of four head-to-head games between the Atlantic Division rivals. The Bruins will host the Lightning in their annual Columbus Day matinee Oct. 13 before the clubs will square off twice on Saturdays in April — April 4 in Tampa and April 11 in Boston.
When Do The Bruins Play On National Television in 2025-26?
More TV details will be unveiled in the weeks to come, but Boston already is scheduled to play at least three national-TV games, including the Stadium Series. The Stadium Series has historically been broadcast on ABC, though TV information was not released Wednesday.
The Bruins’ first game of the season, against the Washington Capitals on Oct. 8, will be broadcast by TNT and will start at 7:30 p.m. ET. Boston will also take on the New York Rangers on TNT at 1 p.m. ET on Nov. 28, the NHL’s annual Black Friday afternoon game.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Marchand’s Return, Stadium Series Highlight Bruins’ 25-26 Slate appeared first on Heavy Sports.