Serious rumblings of a Brad Marchand trade during 4 Nations break

According to a report from Boston Bruins insider Jimmy Murphy, the Bruins are getting trade offers on captain Brad Marchand and could make a deal before the 4 Nations Face-Off break is over later this month.

From Murphy's latest column for RG.org:

“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,” an NHL executive source told RG. “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.”

“They’ll take the break to get on the same page with him and see what he thinks and go from there,” said the source.

“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.”

“There’s players they’re shopping and he’s not one of them right now,” the source told RG.

- Jimmy Murphy

The 36 year old Marchand is in the final year of an eight year contract that pays him $6.125 million per season.

So... who's interested?

Murphy goes on to name the Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights as teams that are reportedly interested.

Again, from Murphy:

“I honestly think it will be very situational,” this source opined to RG. “For instance, I keep hearing that Colorado is very interested in him. Well, they don’t have a first-round pick this year. Of course, Sweeney could ask for a 2026 pick, or he and [Chris] MacFarland (Avalanche GM) can get creative. Is Marchand, at this point, coming off of surgery and a strange season, even worth a first-round pick right now? I don’t know. It’s all about the team that wants him and the market the Bruins are able to build.”

On top of the Avalanche, the Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, and Dallas Stars are all teams that have been mentioned to RG as interested parties to any potential Marchand trade.

Also, on Monday, a well-placed source confirmed that the Vegas Golden Knights will be another serious trade suitor for Marchand. The Knights are said to be awaiting word from Boston before engaging in any serious trade talks, but an answer is expected soon.

Adding Marchand to any of those rosters would immediately put the team into contender status, if they're not there already.

Stay tuned.