Bruins reportedly ‘still open’ to trading Brad Marchand before deadline
"Teams calling with interest aren't being told 'no' right now.”
With the NHL trade deadline less than 24 hours away, the Bruins are still reportedly weighing the franchise-shifting decision of trading away captain Brad Marchand.
The Athletic’s Chris Johnston reported Thursday that while both the Bruins and Marchand have continued to hold contract negotiations, Boston is still taking calls on the 36-year-old winger.
“While the Bruins continue to go back and forth with Brad Marchand on a possible contract extension, word is they’re still open to potentially trading their captain,” Johnston posted on X. “Teams calling with interest aren’t being told ‘no’ right now.”
Marchand is currently “week to week” with an upper-body injury he suffered during Saturday’s road win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. But even with the veteran winger’s status unclear over the next few weeks, Boston could still net a sizable return if they opted to deal away their captain.
Speaking on TSN just a few hours later, Johnston was even more declarative about Marchand’s odds of playing for another team in the coming weeks.
“At this point in time, there’s no confirmation he’s going to be traded,” Johnston said on TSN’s “Insider Trading segment. “But the feeling, league-wide, is that he very much is likely to be moved by the Bruins at some point to the West.”
As evidenced by the strong return that the Bruins already secured for an injured middle-six forward in Trent Frederic (2025 second-round pick, 2026 fourth-round pick, AHL defenseman Max Wanner), there is a seller’s market currently in place around the NHL — with several teams on the playoff bubble seemingly ready to part with prime assets in order to put their roster over the top.
Even with his age and current health, Marchand’s two-way game, scoring punch (47 points in 61 games), Stanley Cup pedigree, and knack for pestering opponents would make him a coveted player for several Stanley Cup contenders.
But even if the Bruins were to land a package similar to the one that the Flyers secured three years ago when they dealt captain Claude Giroux (Owen Tippett, a first-round pick, and a third-round pick), there are also plenty of risks that come with dealing Marchand — be it the inability to replicate his production on the ice in the coming years, or the leadership void created by his exit.
The Bruins might also be prompted to move on from Marchand and net a strong return if they can’t bridge the gap on a new contract before Friday’s deadline.
Even though Marchand could conceivably be a 20-goal scorer over the next few seasons, Boston might be hesitant at handing a player at his age both term and a payout close to his $6.125 million annual cap hit.
Speaking on the “What Chaos!” podcast last month, Marchand brushed aside talk that he’d be traded from the only NHL team he’s ever played for.
“Obviously, it would be very weird,” Marchand said of getting dealt. “I think I would feel very weird, probably a little lost. But I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it before. And I don’t really think about it, because it’s not something that I really see happening.”
“I’ve always planned on playing here my entire career. That hasn’t changed,” Marchand added while speaking to reporters at Warrior Ice Arena on Feb. 24. “They’re aware of that. I think everyone’s aware of that. It’s a gift to play for this team. I take a tremendous pride in it. So yeah, that’s the goal.”
Marchand is far from the only Bruins player that Boston is reportedly taking calls on before Friday’s deadline — with David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reporting Thursday afternoon that Morgan Geekie, Brandon Carlo, and Justin Brazeau are all potential trade chips.
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