It’s time for another edition of NHL rumours. We’re closing in on the start of the NHL season and training camps will be opening soon. The focus on this season will start soon, but there’s always an eye on the future. Some major players could become free agents and the end of the season. A few players have already inked deals, but others face an uncertain future. Today’s edition of NHL rumours deals with a key Boston Bruins player that could be going into the unknown.
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All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Boston Bruins Captain Faces Unknown Future
Rumour: Boston captain Brad Marchand talked to NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin prior to the start of training camp. Marchand is entering the last year of his deal and is aware this could be his last season with the club.
Analysis: It would be odd to see Marchand in any other sweater than the black, white and gold. However, Father Time is undefeated and Marchand is 36 years old. The Halifax native is going into the last year of his deal that sees him make $6.125 million per season.
Things have not been easy this off-season for Marchand, who had three different surgeries to deal with various issues. However, Marchand will be ready for training camp later this month.
There’s an air of uncertainty with the B’s and Marchand as this could be his final season donning the spoked B sweater. However, there does seem to be interest in wanting to return past this season.
Behind Closed Doors
Marchand said that both sides want to keep negotiations behind closed doors. This seems to be the same track for talks like the ones going on between the Pittsburgh Penguins and captain Sidney Crosby. It’s looking like both sets of discussions are going to be kept quiet until a deal is about ready to happen.
Marchand is aware that Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney may not offer a new deal to him. Things such as age, injury history and possible regression could play a hand in talks between the two sides. The forward has scored more than 20 goals in all but one full season with the Bruins.
Parts of the 2011 Stanley Cup Champion Bruins have been falling away with captains Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron retiring in the last few years. Marchand’s time may come, but he’s still been a productive member of the club the last few seasons.
There’s Still Hope
Despite some worries, there does seem to be an interest in continuing their partnership beyond 2024-25. Sweeney hasn’t offered a new deal to Marchand, but that could change at any point. Marchand is eligible to sign a new contract at any time since he’s going into the final year of his deal.
The veteran forward stated the he wants to play until at least 40 in his interview with Benjamin. He also told The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa that the competition with younger players is going to be fierce.
However, Marchand has been pulling his weight for the last few seasons and stepped up replacing Bergeron as captain. A deal probably gets done, but “the waiting is the hardest part” as the great Tom Petty said.
