The Boston Bruins were the biggest sellers at the NHL trade deadline, and their fire sale included the surprising trade of team captain Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers. The Bruins and Marchand were trying to work out a contract extension ahead of the deadline, but Marchand was shipped to Boston's biggest nemesis in the Eastern Conference when the two sides couldn't come to an agreement.

According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, Marchand and the Bruins both landed on a three-year extension, but there was a significant gap on the average annual value of the pact. Marchand requested a meeting with Boston management to get the deal over the finish line, but did not get the results he anticipated.

That surprised Marchand, who then told the team to trade him to Florida.

"Where I think this really went sideways was there was a point this week where Brad Marchand -- who is currently injured and not in the lineup -- asked for a face-to-face meeting with Bruins management," Friedman said on Sportsnet. "I don't know exactly when it was. I don't know exactly who was there. But it did happen, and in that meeting Brad Marchand asked for a compromise. He said 'I will compromise, I will bend on some of my ask. I'm asking the Bruins to bend on some of their stance. And we'll find a way to get this deal done,' because he wanted to stay as a Bruin.

"It just didn't happen. The Bruins had gone as far as far as they were willing to go," said Friedman, adding that Marchand was "stunned" by that stance. "I think it really hurt Marchand that the face-to-face meeting couldn't get a deal done." 

After spending his first 16 NHL seasons with the Bruins, Marchand is now joining a Panthers team looking to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. That destination makes losing Marchand even tougher for Bruins fans, as Florida ended Boston's run in each of the last two postseasons.

Could Brad Marchand re-sign with the Bruins?

The Bruins received just a conditional second-round pick for Marchand, which could become a first-round pick depending on how much he plays for the Panthers this postseason. Marchand is currently managing an upper-body injury and could be out the next several weeks.

Bruins radio analyst Bob Beers wasn't surprised that Marchand was dealt, but he was surprised about his landing spot. Beers said Boston's return for its captain was not as big as it could have been had Marchand been healthy at the deadline.

"If he was healthy, they definitely could have gotten a a first-round pick," Beers told WBZ-TV's Steve Burton on Sunday night's Sports Final. 

While Marchand will have a chance to win another Cup with Florida this season, Beers said the door should be open for Marchand to return to Boston when he becomes a free agent.

"I hope so. He has meant so much to this organization and the respect factor is off the charts in terms of what he has done and what he has meant to this organization. I hope that is a possibility, but that is to be determined," said Beers. "I hope the best for him. And if the best for him is coming back to Boston, open arms. Please come back."

Watch Beers and Burton break down a busy deadline day for the Boston Bruins in the video above, and tune in to Sports Final every Sunday night at 11:35 p.m. on WBZ-TV!