Brad Marchand stepped back onto the ice at the TD Garden in a Panthers practice jersey as the longtime Bruins player returned to Boston for the first time since he was traded to Florida.

The uncomfortable reality of Marchand and Boston being separate entities was inevitable after the team fell short a couple of years ago.

Marchand met with general manager Don Sweeney before the trade deadline, offering to compromise, but the Bruins did not adjust their offer, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, ultimately making a "really, really difficult" decision, per Sweeney.