Troubling report on Brad Marchand’s future in Boston after confrontation with Jim Montgomery

Boston Bruins star forward Brad Marchand quickly defended Jim Montgomery after the team’s head coach yelled at his captain and lightly shoved him on the bench after a giveaway allowed the Utah Hockey Club to score on Saturday.

“It’s unfortunate how coaches are scrutinized over things like that. There’s a lack of accountability nowadays because people can’t handle the heat. You make a mistake like that, you deserve to hear about it,” Marchand said.

The confrontation however raised concerns as rumours and reports keep coming on the pending contract negotiations for Marchand. The captain is still playing on an eight-year deal worth $6.125 million per year, and the contract expires after the 2024-25 season.

The Bruins are just coming out of a contract stalemate with goalie Jeremy Swayman, and insider Nick Kypreos believes the team is in no rush to tackle negotiations with its captain. He reported so earlier last week:

“Coming off a lengthy Jeremy Swayman contract standoff, it appears the Bruins are in no rush to address their captain’s soon-to-be expiring contract,” Kypreos said in The Toronto Star.

“Brad Marchand, at age 36, is finishing a team-friendly deal worth $6.1 million per season. I’m wondering if President Cam Neely has 25 or 30 million reasons for Marchand to want to stick around,” he added.

On Friday, it was Sportsnet’s Michael Amato to add oil to the fire, when he wrote that Marchand’s future in Boston is not guaranteed as he doubts the veteran forward would accept another team-friendly bargain deal with the Bruins, though he notes it would seem almost unfathomable that Marchand could be playing elsewhere than Boston.

“I don’t necessarily think Marchand is going to demand a raise, but he may not be so eager to take a massive discount like old pal Patrice Bergeron did at the end of his career. Marchand could very well end up playing a few more seasons and he’s already spent a handful of years on a discount.

"That could clash with what the Bruins think he’s worth at this point in his career. We just witnessed a very contentious contract negotiation with Boston and Jeremy Swayman, where the Bruins ultimately caved somewhat. They may have been OK doing that for a 25-year-old franchise goaltender, but for a declining winger who turns 37 next spring, they might be less willing to bend. Even so, Marchand can still provide impact and he may be most valuable to the Bruins because he would help keep their championship window open, even if it isn’t as wide as some other teams.”

There is just so much happening with the Bruins, who have started the season with a 3-4-1 record. Things need to get back on track, perhaps before addressing Marchand’s future with the team, though Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman did sound worry when it comes to the relationship he has with Montgomery.

“You don’t see coaches yell at players like that on the bench much anymore,” Friedman said via the ’32 Thoughts Podcast on Monday. 

The Bruins need to focus, for now, on getting back to their winning ways, and maybe let the dust settle with Marchand before talking about the future. How uncertain it might be.