Brad Marchand lays out his plans for retirement

Brad Marchand ain't goin' anywhere!

Of course, we know that Marchand signed a six year contract extension with the Florida Panthers this offseason, but there have been rumors that the Panthers may bury Marchand on LTIR before the deal is over an a semi-retirement move. Bullshit though, says Marchand.

"This contract solidifies that I'm going to play for a long time here, and I have every intention of playing it out," says Marchand. "Hopefully I can keep up with the young guys here in the next number of years here. It's something I want to hold on to as long as I can. My family loves it."

"They're going to have to kick me out of the league for me to go," says Marchand to RG.org.

"I'm going to play until I can't play anymore. When I heard one of my coaches say that, it always stuck with me. The longer you play, you realize how close you are to the finish. It's like you want to hold on to that as long as you can. That was always my mindset, and it is today. I want to play as long as I possibly can."

Frankly, I'd love to see Marchand transition into a player who plays well into his 40s and becomes a mentor for younger players. I get that he's already at that stage, but just imagine what he can impart to the next generation over the next decade.