Should Boston trade its captain?
Although Brad Marchand is currently focused on helping Team Canada have success at the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Boston Bruins' captain could be emerging into a trade candidate in real time.
As the Bruins continue to struggle in 2024-25 — Joe Sacco's team is out of the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference — sources informed RG's James Murphy this week that the franchise's front office is getting calls on the 36-year-old.
“They’re getting calls on [Marchand], and teams are wondering what they’re going to do here, but, at this point, I think they’re just listening,” said one of the sources. “Still, the fact that the Bruins or Marchand haven’t come right out and squashed this like they have in the past is telling. With things also being so quiet on contract talks, it tells you this is getting real.”
Although the Bruins aren't shopping the heart and soul forward — far from it — they are at least listening to offers ahead of the March 7 NHL Trade Deadline.
“They’ll take the break to get on the same page with him and see what he thinks and go from there,” a source told RG. “The fact they’re listening, though, means that, if they can’t find common ground over this break, it becomes more than listening when they return from break.”
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said last week that the team could be hybrid sellers ahead of the deadline if the on-ice results didn't improve. Now losers of two straight and four of their last six, the season seems to slowly be slipping away in Beantown.
And that could force Sweeney's hand.
Bruins in jeopardy of missing playoffs for 1st time since 2015-16
“It’s been a little unique for us this year, getting out of the gate not as fast as we would like, and we’re in the middle of things,” Sweeney said on the TNT broadcast earlier this season. “It’s a tough exercise to sort of play both sides of the street, but I think that’s almost every year what a general manager is required to do and test what’s out there, what’s available, and how you can improve, hopefully, how you can improve the whole hockey club.”
Currently 27-24-6, the Bruins are just a single point back of the Detroit Red Wings for the final wildcard in the East. But the conference is crowded, with the Ottawa Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers and New York Islanders all fashioning themselves playoff contenders come mid-April.
If Boston continues to struggle — as has been the case for much of the year — there's a real chance Marchand will be traded away from the place he's spent his entire NHL career.
The 2011 Stanley Cup champion will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1; a source told RG that a first-round pick and a prospect could be a starting point for the 12-time 20-goal scorer.
Per Murphy, if the Bruins do make Marchand available, the Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild, Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights would all be potential suitors.
Although all eyes are on the 4 Nations Face-Off over the next two weeks, the Bruins are going to be a top team to watch ahead of the deadline. It'll be intriguing to see if the front office is capable of cutting the cord on one of the most important players in franchise history.
