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The Boston Bruins could not afford to lose
Johnny Boychuk. They could not afford to lose
Dougie Hamilton. You could make the case that they could not afford to have lost
Loui Eriksson, too, if you’d like. But if there’s another player with a payday around the corner that the Bruins
really cannot afford to lose from their group, it’s top-liner
Brad Marchand.
Fresh off a career-high 37-goal, 60-point season, and his selection to Team Canada for the World Cup of Hockey, the 28-year-old winger heads into this upcoming season in the final year of a four-year, $18 million contract (a deal that was wrong dubbed an overpayment by some when it first happened back in Sept. 2012), and will be an unrestricted free agent by this time next year if left unsigned. (Bad idea.)
In essence, No. 63 is due for a raise. A big one, too.
Floated out there by
the Fourth Period’s Shawn Hutcheon this past weekend, it’s believed that Marchand’s camp will seek a seven-year, $49 million contract ($7 million cap hit) from the Bruins. Such a contract would put Marchand in a category with names like Vancouver’s Daniel Sedin (an old friend of Marchand’s) and just below the likes of wingers such as Ottawa’s
Bobby Ryan ($7.25 million) and Vladimir Tarasenko ($7.5 million). It would also make Marchand the second-highest paid Boston forward behind David Krejci’s $7.25 million cap hit.
Is that a deal that makes sense for the Bruins? Yes, yes, and for the hell of it, throw a third yes in there.
It’s funny because when you first hear Marchand’s name, at least if you’re not in Boston or a fan of the Bruins, you immediately think of a borderline dirty player that’s known for getting under everyone’s skin. And while Marchand still pushes the envelope at times -- Marchand’s reputation as an agitator alone is something he’s tried to shed, and at times, successfully has -- the Marchand you saw this past year was simply phenomenal. He was absolutely more than just an outdated reputation.
In a year in which Marchand scored 37 goals (the sixth-most in the NHL), only Patrick Kane, Alexander Ovechkin, and Tarasenko scored more even-strength goals than Marchand’s 27. His four shorthanded tallies were also third in the league. He followed that regular season up with a Team Canada run that included four goals and seven points in 10 games en route to a Gold at the IIHF World Championships.
When he’s on the ice, no matter where, even, he’s a threat to make something happen.
And though many have become terrified at the thought of the Bruins re-signing any player not named
Patrice Bergeron given the way contracts were doled out under the Peter Chiarelli regime (and perhaps similar to the way the Bruins have spent on their own blue-line talents over the last two offseasons), Marchand is a proven commodity that’s worked wonders in the Claude Julien system.
With Bergeron as his centerman, the crafty 5-foot-9 winger has worked his way from
habitual line-stepper agitator to elite NHL goal scorer. His three-zone chemistry with Bergeron is something that cannot be taught, and given their dominance in almost any and every situation since Boston’s Stanley Cup win in 2011, something that doesn’t happen without Marchand, there’s really no price that can accurately reflect that.
Still, is $7 million the be-all, end-all number for Marchand the Bruins? Likely not. Bruins general manager
Don Sweeney has previously noted that the Bruins have already started contract talks with Marchand, and there’s undeniable mutual interest between the parties.
While Marchand isn’t the only piece the Bruins have to sign next summer (forwards David Pastrnak and Ryan Spooner, both restricted free agents, are the only big two Sweeney has to worry about), Boston’s at times self-sacrificing cap maneuvering over the last two years has left them with ample cash to make a deal work. And in all honesty zero excuses to not make a Marchand deal work before next summer.
Ty Anderson has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, has been a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter since 2013, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.
Boston Bruins Blogger •Bruins Feature Columnist • 
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