Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand spoke publicly to reporters about his future with the franchise for the first time since beating the USA in the 4 Nations final playing for Canada.
Marchand acknowledged that contract talks are ongoing with the Bruins as he remains committed to staying with the franchise, something he's done since the organization drafted him in 2006.
Speaking with reporters after Monday's practice ahead of Tuesday's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Bruins captain made it clear that his priority is to remain in Boston.
“We’re obviously in talks,” Marchand said. “I feel like I understand where I’m at personally. But again, that’s gonna stay between us.
”I’ve always planned on playing here my entire career. That hasn’t changed… it’s a gift to be playing for this team.”
Marchand, 36, is in the final season of an eight-year, $49 million contract and is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
With the Bruins currently on the outside of the playoff picture, there has been speculation about whether the team could move him before the March 7 trade deadline.
Marchand discussed the trade speculation on Jan. 31, admitting he "has no control" over the decisions made by the franchise.
“At the end of the day, they’re going to make the decisions for the group they feel are necessary," Marchand said. "I have no control over that.”
General manager Don Sweeney addressed the Bruins’ trade deadline approach on Sunday, describing it as more cautious than in previous years.
“I think historically, we’ve been pretty aggressive when our team’s been in a position,” Sweeney said. “I think we’ll take a much more cautious approach as we approach the deadline.
“That being said, if there are opportunities to improve our team now and certainly moving forward--we will look at all opportunities to improve our team now, but more importantly, moving forward.”
Sweeney noted that new contracts for pending free agents seemed unlikely at this time, with the exception of Marchand.
“It’s unlikely we’ll move forward with things other than maybe Brad’s,” Sweeney said.
Marchand has 45 points (20 goals, 25 assists) in 58 games this season for a Bruins team that is sitting fourth in the Eastern Conference wild-card race, one point outside of the playoff picture.
