Brad Marchand finally reveals his future plans with the Boston Bruins

It's been a roller coaster season for Brad Marchand.

The Boston Bruins captain has struggled to bring consistency to his team this season. The Bruins are just a point out of the NHL's Eastern Conference final Wild Card race, but they've failed to gain any real traction. They've been dreadful on the road this season with a 9-15-3 record and are at serious risk of missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2016.

On the flip side, Marchand was a key member of Canada's 4 Nations team. The 36 year old helped Canada defeat USA at the tournament on Thursday, in the home confines of Boston's TD Garden. 

So again, it's been a roller coaster season full of emotions for Marchand.

At 36 years old, with his contract expiring and with the Bruins seemingly in need of a rebuild, you have to wonder what's next for Marchand?

Will he re-sign with the B's? Will he seek a new deal elsewhere as a free agent? Will he retire?

Today, Marchand addressed the rumors about his future himself.

“I’ve always planned on playing here (Boston) my entire career,” Marchand said earlier today. “That hasn’t changed. They’re aware of that. I think everyone’s aware of that. It’s a gift to be playing for this team and I take a tremendous amount of pride in it. So yeah, that's always been a goal.”

Marchand was then asked about GM Don Sweeney's comments that the team will not be aggressive at the NHL trade deadline and instead will be focused on the future.