Despite Bruins captain Brad Marchand’s desire to stay with the team past the deadline even if they don’t have an extension in hand, the Boston front office has other plans. They’re now listening to calls on trade inquiries for the star winger while continuing extension dialogue, according to Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic.
Moving Marchand would mark a seismic shift in Boston’s organizational identity in myriad ways. A post-4 Nations break skid and injuries to top defenders Hampus Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy had the Bruins resigned as deadline sellers for the first time in a decade. Naturally, the assumption was they’d take a cautious approach to retooling their roster and move out some of their depth pending free agents. They already accomplished a deal for one of them, sending Trent Frederic to Edmonton earlier this week.
That’s not the case. Reports over the past week indicate they’re also open to moving players with term, namely top-six forwards Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha and top-four defenseman Brandon Carlo. Shipping out their captain, though, even as a pending UFA, removes the Bruins’ longest-tenured player and only remaining member from their 2011 Stanley Cup championship and indicates something closer to a rebuild than a retool as they consider their offseason plans.
While the Bruins are only three points out of a playoff spot, they have negative games in hand and are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games. That has their playoff odds down to 5% amid a crowded Eastern playoff picture, per MoneyPuck, and the likelihood of a surge up the standings is limited significantly by an upper-body injury to Marchand himself. He’s listed as week-to-week after he was on the receiving end of a huge hit from Penguins defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph last weekend, so he wouldn’t be able to play for a new team immediately after a trade.
The possibility of a Marchand move is only starting to spike in real-time. He was left off The Fourth Period’s most recent trade board entirely, and Johnston had Marchand listed as the 37th and final player on the board he released just this morning.
But given this year’s market for rental pieces, it’s clear to see why Bruins general manager Don Sweeney would at least listen to offers. Boston could very well land multiple first-round picks or similarly-valued assets for his services, even without an extension agreed to. They still have two retention slots remaining and could slash his already palatable $6.125MM cap hit in half to make a trade to a cap-strapped contender easier. For a team with one of the worst prospect pools in the league, it’s an appealing thought for their odds of being championship contenders again by the end of the decade.
Sweeney, And Neely are Neanderthals, And have done a good job of running the club into the ground.
Despite the fact they’ve been one of the most consistent teams making the playoffs…..hmmm wilfy my boy it’s maybe time for you to retire…I mean you constantly comment on how players overstay their tenure until it’s embarrassing well uh how do I say this…uh yeah it’s time to be put to pasture buddy.
Brad Marchand being moved would be a bit of a surprise in a sense but I think an extension will be reached however & he’ll stay in Boston.
Didn’t he almost retire last year after they lost to the Panthers? Now he’s looking for an extension? lol… be hilarious if he ended up in Sunrise
Replying to myself… IT HAPPENED !!! lol
Blow it up! The identity of this team is so soft and has been for the last few years. Florida panther hockey is the way.
When Iginla got traded, also an expiring on a downyear late in his career, he was traded for a 1st and two NCAA players who were recent third and fifth rounders. I know they’re not the same player, but I would have to assume the value is somewhere around there.