Brad Marchand calls out his teammate at crucial time ahead of 2024-25

After spending three weeks on the mend, recovering from multiple surgeries he underwent in the offseason, captain Brad Marchand returned to the Boston Bruins practice in a non-contact jersey earlier this week. As Marchand’s health is only continuing to improve, his leadership never took a break and the captain expressed what he expects from the young players coming into his roster to Fluto Shinzawa of the Athletic. And his comments came with quite a strong message.

When asked about who can come in and replace Jake DeBrusk, who signed as a free agent this summer with the Vancouver Canucks, Marchand spoke about the identity the No. 2 right wing still unknown. And made sure the young guys know what it takes to earn that spot.

Morgan Geekie was given a chance to impress Marchand and Charlie Coyle on the second line and could be considered to take on the responsibility down the middle on the second line.

“I love playing with Geeks,” Marchand said. “He’s so great in some of the different areas, the way he can hold onto pucks and makes plays. Shoots it. Great in the corners. I think he really complements our line as well. We haven’t had a ton of reps together, so we’ll continue to work on it. But I’ve always really liked his game.”

But when Marchand was informed that Fabian Lysell did well during the Bruins’ 4-1 preseason win over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, the captain needed to send the message that he needs more than that:

“It’s encouraging,” Marchand said when informed youngsters like Lysell, Matt Poitras and Georgii Merkulov played pretty well against the Capitals. “But pretty well needs to be better. For those guys to make the team, you’ve got to look at it and push guys out that are on term and big deals. Pretty good is not going to cut it. If you’re happy with that, you’ve got a long ways to go.”

I guess Marchand will see what fits best ahead of the 2024-25 season, especially if he gets a chance to see some pre-season game action shortly. The gritty forward is coming off another stellar season scoring 29 goals and 67 points in 82 games, but spent most of the summer on the sidelines however, undergoing three surgeries to his elbow, abdomen and sports hernia. But the injuries never prevented him from being a great leader and making sure his teammates are ready for the upcoming campaign.