Trade offer leaked for Brad Marchand in Boston
More and more chatter has the Bruins’ captain on the move ahead of the March 7 deadline. Full story below:
The Boston Bruins keep fighting for a playoff spot in the Eastern conference and the team’s recent struggles sparked speculation over captain Brad Marchand’s future. The veteran forward is playing out the final season of an eight-year, $49 million contract he signed in September of 2016 and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in July. Lately, trade rumours have intensified in Boston as the team may be seriously considering trading its captain.
James Murphy of RG.org has confirmed with an NHL executive source that the Bruins are indeed getting calls on Marchand, while many people wonder what the team will decide to do with the pending free agent. While for now, general manager Don Sweeney is reportedly only listening to the calls, there is a sense that a first-round pick and a top prospect is what needs to be offered to tempt the Bruins into moving Marchand.
Several teams have been linked to the rumour and potential offer as the sources in the article have mentioned the Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild as possible suitors.
“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.”
Looking at the trade picture right now and the suitors interested in Marchand, the Oilers and Wild are pressed against the $88 million cap, making them the least likely to go after the Bruins’ captain.
And if Sweeney wants that first-round pick in that offer, he needs to know that, at this time, all aforementioned landing spots lack a first-round pick in this year’s draft.
When rumours as outrageous as this one comes out in Boston, usually, the Bruins are quick to squash it. But they haven’t this time…
While fans remains unsure on Marchand’s future in Boston, there is no doubt that if he becomes available on the trade market, there will be no shortage of suitors calling Sweeney.
