Bruins Captain Arises as Shocking Trade Candidate

The Boston Bruins have a surprising name hitting trade boards as talks begin to ramp up around the NHL.

Nov 14, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) in action during the game between the Dallas Stars and the Boston Bruins at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Boston Bruins have been under a microscope since the offseason and a rocky start to the 2024-25 campaign has only made things more stressful. Jim Montgomery was fired by the Bruins after 20 games and that may have just been the first of many moves to come.

Reports indicate general manager Don Sweeney may be next on the chopping block, but will any Bruins players be dealt before the NHL’s trade deadline? According to Chris Johnston of the Atheltic, captain Brad Marchand has emerged as a quality trade candidate.

It might not be a likely move, but anything seems to be possible in Boston right now. Marchand is in the final year of his contract and when speculation circled that he had signed an extension to stay in Boston, he quickly denied the report.

“This is not a player we expected to find on the Big Board,” Johnston writes. “Even if he’s currently playing out the final year on his contract. But as a league source noted this week, ‘I don't think anyone in Boston thought this is where they'd be at.’ If the decision to replace Jim Montgomery with Joe Sacco behind the Bruins bench doesn’t produce the desired results, some difficult personnel decisions will almost certainly follow.”

Marchand entered 2024-25 after multiple surgeries, but he claimed he was ready for the new season. In 20 games played, he has five goals and eight assists for 13 total points.

It took Marchand until the ninth game of the season to score his first goal, and not too many have followed. He’s on pace for 21 goals this year, which would be an uncharacteristically low number for the Bruins captain.

Marchand’s still set otherwise is pretty well known. You don’t get nicknames like the Rat King or Little Ball of Hate for being a friendly face on the ice. He’s a best and one of those players teams can’t stand playing against but would love to have them in their lineup.

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