Brad Marchand admits the uncomfortable truth

There's no doubt that Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand is one of the most important pieces of their lineup, not only providing timely offense but completely getting under the skin of their opponents on a routine basis. He's certainly carved out a career for himself as one of the most offensively gifted agitators in professional sports. 

However, he wasn't available to the Bruins at the start of this season as he continued his recovery from double hip surgery that he underwent during the summer. And while he came back several weeks before he was expected to, he's admitting that might not have been the best idea.

“I thought I’d feel better now than I do, to be honest with you,” Marchand explained on Wednesday after practice at Warrior Ice Arena. “It’s been really relieving that we have the team we have and we’re as deep as we are because it definitely takes pressure off. But I thought I’d be where I was last year right now. I don’t necessarily feel like that. 

“I still have a little ways to go before playoffs. But surgery-wise, it was by far the best decision I made for the longevity of my career, so I’m happy with how it went. And obviously, the best-case scenario happened and we have a really good team and it takes a lot of pressure off. But I thought it would be a little easier to get back to where I was last year than what it’s been.”

With 20 goals and 35 assists in 55 games played, Marchand continues his point per game scoring pace - but he feels that he has more to contribute. 

“He’s a star in the league,” said head coach Jim Montgomery. “When you’ve been one of, if not the best left wings in the league for the past seven years or so, you expect a lot of yourself, you hold yourself to a high standard. He’s kind of a microcosm of our team, right? He expects a lot from himself. Our team expects a lot from ourselves, and he knows his individual success helps drive the team success. 

“So I think it’s one of those things where he’s accustomed to 90 to 100 points for a season for a long time, and that’s what he holds himself accountable to. And he also kills penalties, he brings energy, he brings nastiness. He brings all those elements to what the Boston Bruins are.”