Don Sweeney said he loved Brad Marchand, but in the end, the Bruins general manager and the team’s 36-year-old captain were too far apart on contract length to reach an agreement on a new one so he traded him to Florida.

Rather than risk losing him for nothing as a free agent this summer, Sweeney traded Marchand to the rival Florida Panthers for a conditional draft pick.

“Just had a gap. Deep down, we had been talking really from day two of free agency in terms of what his intentions were and where we were at,” Sweeney said. “That’s the decision that was made. Then we had to make a really, really difficult decision to say, well, let’s give Brad another opportunity (to win a Stanley Cup) with a really good team. Then he can make his decision what he thinks is best moving forward (after the season).”

He said he and Marchand’s agent talked loosely about his preferences for where he wanted to play.

Sweeney said he could have waited until the end of the season to re-engage to hoped to find common ground at the risk of getting nothing if Marchand signed elsewhere.

“Once the gap was there that he wasn’t going to sign — we could have taken the time in between now and then. Maybe it changes. But the time leading up to it hadn’t,” he said. “And that’s where the tipping point says I have to do what’s best for the organization.”

Sweeney admitted that Marchand’s upper body injury complicated the possible return for him. Sweeney said Marchand is expected to miss 3-4 weeks.

“With his injury, it complicates things a little bit,” Sweeney said. “You’re just basically talking to the teams that are willing to take on that risk. The position they’re in, comfortable that he’s gonna miss the timeline that’s likely and work through it and find out who’s willing to take that and do the best job we can for the organization.”

The conditions on the pick are complicated:

• The Bruins will get at least a 2027 conditional second-round draft pick for Marchand. It will become a 2027 or 2028 first-round draft pick if Florida wins two rounds of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs and Marchand appears in at least 50% of the team’s playoff games. Boston will retain 50 percent of Marchand’s salary.

It’s not clear who will determine whether that first-round pick will be in 2027 or 2028 should the terms be met.

Unless he signs an extension in Florida, Marchand will still be a free agent after the season. Sweeney was asked if he’d rule out bringing Marchand back.

“That’s probably a better question for Brad at this point in time and the emotions that he’s going through,” Sweeney said. “I love Brad. We have a gap there and I respect that. I hope he respects our position because he’s he’s beloved here. I would never close the door.”