Brad Marchand shares his thoughts on whether or not he’s open to a potential return to the Boston Bruins when he becomes a free agent this summer.
Brad Marchand's first morning skate as a member of the Florida Panthers on Tuesday happened at the place he called home for the last 16 years: TD Garden.
The Bruins traded Marchand to the Panthers just before last Friday's NHL trade deadline. The Panthers are in Boston to play the Bruins on Tuesday night, but Marchand, who suffered an upper body injury on March 1, won't play.
Marchand isn't signed beyond this season, and after his representatives and the Bruins weren't able to work out an extension before the deadline, the team decided to make a move. The return was pretty lackluster: a conditional 2027 second-round draft pick from the Panthers.
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Even though Marchand is now playing for the Panthers, it is possible he could return to the Bruins. If he becomes an unrestricted free agent in July, he'll be able to sign with any team.
Has the Bruins chapter of his career closed?
“I don’t know, I guess is how I would respond," Marchand told reporters in Boston after Tuesday's morning skate. "I don’t know what the future brings in terms of how it plays out in the summertime. I know it didn’t come together now. Can things change down the road? Potentially, but that’s to be seen.
“I’m sure we’ll have a conversation down the road, but I don’t know where that goes. I’ll say I would still love … like, it doesn’t change my love for the city, and the will to want to be here has never changed. I don’t think it will ever change."
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What are the most important things Marchand will look for in his next destination?
“I haven’t thought much about it, if I’m being very frank,” Marchand said. “It’s one of those things that, I’m sure my family will think about it a lot here over the next little while. I think there’s a lot of different things.
"You want to try to win. It's hard right now because there are so many good teams and there are so many teams that could be good over the next few years. I don’t know. You’re kind of stumping me because there’s a lot of different things that I would look at. The term was the biggest thing for me, always. So that’s probably first and foremost, and then after that, there’ll be a lot of things that come into play.”
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported over the weekend that the Bruins and Marchand were able to agree on the term of a possible extension, but there was a gap on average annual value (AAV).
“I think the Bruins and the player had agreed on term — three years," Friedman said on the Hockey Night in Canada broadcast. "But as Don Sweeney said (Friday), there was a gap, and there was a gap on AAV. I don’t think he was being asked to take a pay cut or anything like that, but I do think it was a sizable gap that they obviously could not bridge."
Marchand, if healthy, is still a very productive player capable of scoring 25-30 goals. He can also contribute to the power play, he kills penalties, he provides excellent leadership and he has Stanley Cup-winning experience.
The veteran left wing should have plenty of potential suitors if he reaches free agency this summer. Will the Bruins be one of them? We'll see.