With Bruins leaning toward being sellers at trade deadline, players acknowledge the ‘business' of hockey
'Even in the best years,' noted Marchand, who Tuesday night will log his 1,088th regular-season game, all of them as a Bruin, 'guys are moved . . . things happen.'
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
Enter Email
Sign Up
Marchand later added, 'It's part of the game. It's part of the business. Not a part you always love, but at the end of the day, it is what it is.'
For a team careening toward its first postseason DNQ since 2016, and in dire need of infusing crucial speed, youth, and top-end talent into the lineup, it's inevitable that a body, two, three or more will be on the move in these next 10 days. It's not official yet, but these look like selling days.
All of it is the consequence of a season that never got on track for a variety of reasons, including overestimation of roster talent and depth, the lackluster contributions of pricey July 2024 hires Elias Lindholm and
Related
:
There was also the extra large dollop or two of bad luck, underscored on Sunday when GM Don Sweeney delivered word that injured defenseman Hampus Lindholm, who cracked a kneecap Nov. 12, will be lost for the season and that fellow blue liner Charlie McAvoy (shoulder injury/infection) will not be seen for the foreseeable future.
Advertisement
Consider McAvoy out of the duration, too, unless 1. he heals up sooner than anticipated; and 2. Sacco somehow, some way, keeps the Black and Gold in the multi-team .500 mosh pit mixer in the fight for one of the Eastern Conference's two wild-card seeds.
Indeed, every team across the league deals with injuries in the crash-and-burn NHL. Yet few experience the dastardly 1-2 punches to the chin and nose of losing their Nos. 1-2 blue liners.
Both Lindholm and McAvoy have their shortcomings — noted here on a fairly routine basis — but both are nonetheless the club's top two defensemen, particularly in terms of helping to generate offense. They're being paid a combined $19.5 million this season. Sacco now is left with a quirky patchwork six-pack back there that makes opposition forwards ever the more thirsty for offensive zone time.
Sweeney and team president Cam Neely, still empowered to call all roster shots, have the ability to move everyone on the roster except forwards David Pastrnak and Elias Lindholm, as well as backliners McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, and Zadorov.
Marchand, the second-year captain, per puckpedia.com can be dealt to any of 23 teams. Per his contract, he is allowed to designate eight teams he will not accept in trade. He, like Frederic, is on course to become an unrestricted free agent July 1. The Bruins could deal him prior to the deadline, keep the assets, then turn around and sign him to an extension on July 1.
Following the workout in Brighton, Marchand acknowledged the chance he could be dealt, expressed his desire to be a Bruin for life, and also reiterated the sides have continued to talk about a new deal here. Otherwise, he didn't care to add details.
Advertisement
'I've always planned on playing here my entire career,' he said. 'That hasn't changed. They're aware of that. I think everyone's aware of that. It's a gift to be playing for this team. I take a tremendous amount of pride in it so, yeah, it's always been a goal [to remain a Bruin].'
Related
:
Geekie, finishing up the two-year, $4 million UFA deal ($2 million cap hit) he signed in the summer of 2023, noted how much he and his wife enjoy the city, and how much he, too, wants to stay.
'Everything about this place is everything I dreamed of and more — the guys in the room, the memories I created, the friendships,' said Geekie, who set a career high Saturday night with his 18th goal. 'I'd love to be a Bruin as long as I can, but at the end of the day it's a business. They are going to make business decisions and that's above my paygrade, so I am just going to go out there and do my job and have fun while I do it.'
Asked if he were disappointed to not have been signed to a contract extension here, he added, 'They've got decisions to make and I don't think I'm more important than anybody else. Like I said, I am just trying to do my job out there and not get too tied up in that.'
Frederic, 27, has been Bruins property since being drafted (No. 29) in 2016. He is on an expiring two-year deal ($2.3 million cap hit) and stands to become an unrestricted free agent July 1. Like Marchand, he could be dealt now (to any of the 31 other teams) and signed here again on July 1. He is from St. Louis, where
Advertisement
'I'm obviously aware of the situation,' said Frederic, after acknowledging his desire to stay here. 'If something happens, I'll react off that.'
The 27-24-7 Bruins, losers of their last three (0-2-1), face off against the playoff-bound Leafs (35-20-2, best in the Atlantic Monday morning) at 7 p.m. The clock is ticking. Time flies, and right now, so could a few bodies.
Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Goals galore in third instalment of Stanley Cup Final
Defending champions Florida capitalised on Edmonton's worst performance in weeks to thrash the Oilers in Game 3 for a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup Final. Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett scored again, Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe each got their first goal in the series as the Panthers registered a 6-1 rout on Monday night. THE PANTHERS TAKE THE SERIES LEAD!! 😼 Catch Game 4 of the #StanleyCup Final between the @EdmontonOilers and @FlaPanthers Thursday, June 12 at 8p ET on @NHL_On_TNT, @SportsonMax, @Sportsnet, and @TVASports! — NHL (@NHL) June 10, 2025 Marchand became the oldest player to score in each of the first three games of a final and the first to open the scoring the next time out after notching an overtime winner. His 11 goals in the final are the most among active players, one more than similarly ageless Corey Perry. Bennett added his NHL playoff-leading 14th goal, just the second at home, after making a big hit on Edmonton's Vasily Podkolzin that contributed to the turnover to spring him on a breakaway. Marchand and Bennett have combined to score eight of Florida's 13 goals in the series. But it was not just them this time. Verhaeghe buried a perfect shot into the net under the cross bar on the power play, Reinhart made up for missing the net on an earlier attempt, Aaron Ekblad scored to chase Stuart Skinner on the fifth goal on 23 shots and Evan Rodrigues added the exclamation point in the waning minutes. At the other end of the ice, Sergei Bobrovsky earned the "Bobby! Bobby!" chants from a fired up South Florida crowd. The two-time Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender known as "Bob" was on his game for the very few quality chances the disjointed Oilers mustered, making 32 saves. Perry - at 40 the oldest player in the series - beat Bobrovsky with some silky hands for a power-play goal, keeping up this final being a showcase of cagey veterans along with Marchand. Connor McDavid could not get his team on track, and Edmonton took 15 minors - led by Evander Kane's three plus a misconduct to add up to 85 penalty minutes - including a brawl that ensued with less than 10 minutes left. Trent Frederic and Darnell Nurse, who fought Jonah Gadjovich, got misconducts that knocked them out of a game with an outcome determined long before. After the final looked as evenly matched as can be with Games 1 and 2 each needing extra time, overtime and then double OT, Game 3 was a lopsided mismatch. The Oilers came unglued to the point Jake Walman resorted to squirting water on Panthers players on their bench from his spot on the visiting side. The teams have some extra time off before Game 4 on Thursday night, when the Panthers have the chance to take a 3-1 lead and move to the verge of going back to back.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Panthers rout Oilers 6-1 to take 2-1 lead in Stanley Cup final
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett scored again, Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe each got their first goal in the Stanley Cup final, and the defending champion Florida Panthers capitalized on the Edmonton Oilers' worst performance in weeks to win Game 3 in a 6-1 rout Monday night. The Panthers lead the best-of-seven series 2-1. Advertisement Marchand became the oldest player to score in each of the first three games of a final and the first to open the scoring the next time out after notching an overtime winner. His 11 goals in the final are the most among active players, one more than similarly ageless Corey Perry. Bennett added his NHL playoff-leading 14th goal, just the second at home, after making a big hit on Edmonton's Vasily Podkolzin that contributed to the turnover to spring him on a breakaway. Marchand and Bennett have combined to score eight of Florida's 13 goals in the series. But it was not just them this time. Verhaeghe buried a perfect shot into the net under the cross bar on the power play, Reinhart made up for missing the net on an earlier attempt, Aaron Ekblad scored to chase Stuart Skinner on the fifth goal on 23 shots and Evan Rodrigues added the exclamation point in the waning minutes. At the other end of the ice, Sergei Bobrovsky earned the 'Bobby! Bobby!' chants from a fired up Florida crowd. The two-time Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender known as 'Bob' was on his game for the very few quality chances the discombobulated Oilers mustered, making 32 saves. Advertisement Perry — at 40 the oldest player in the series — beat Bobrovsky with some silky hands for a power-play goal, keeping up this final being a showcase of cagey veterans along with Marchand. Connor McDavid could not get his team on track, and Edmonton took 15 minors — led by Evander Kane's three plus a misconduct to add up to 85 penalty minutes — including a brawl that ensued with less than 10 minutes left. Trent Frederic and Darnell Nurse, who fought Jonah Gadjovich, got misconducts that knocked them out of a game with an outcome determined long before. After the final looked as evenly matched as can be with Games 1 and 2 each needing extra time, overtime and then double OT, Game 3 was a lopsided mismatch. The Oilers came unglued to the point Jake Walman resorted to squirting water on Panthers players on their bench from his spot on the visiting side. The teams have some extra time off before Game 4 on Thursday, when the Panthers have the chance to take a 3-1 lead. ___ AP NHL playoffs: and Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press
Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
Stanley Cup Final: Panthers rout Oilers in Game 3 to take series lead
SUNRISE, Fla. — Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett scored again, Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe each got their first goal in the Stanley Cup Final and the defending champion Florida Panthers capitalized on the Edmonton Oilers' worst performance in weeks to win Game 3 in a 6-1 rout Monday night and take a 2-1 series lead. Marchand became the oldest player to score in each of the first three games of a final and the first to open the scoring the next time out after notching an overtime winner. His 11 goals in the final are the most among active players, one more than similarly ageless Corey Perry. Bennett added his NHL playoff-leading 14th goal, just the second at home, after making a big hit on Edmonton's Vasily Podkolzin that contributed to the turnover to spring him on a breakaway. Marchand and Bennett have combined to score eight of Florida's 13 goals in the series. But it was not just them this time. Verhaeghe buried a perfect shot into the net under the cross bar on the power play, Reinhart made up for missing the net on an earlier attempt, Aaron Ekblad scored to chase Stuart Skinner on the fifth goal on 23 shots and Evan Rodrigues added the exclamation point in the waning minutes. At the other end of the ice, Sergei Bobrovsky earned the 'Bobby! Bobby!' chants from a fired up South Florida crowd. The two-time Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender known as 'Bob' was on his game for the very few quality chances the discombobulated Oilers mustered, making 32 saves. Perry — at 40 the oldest player in the series — beat Bobrovsky with some silky hands for a power-play goal, keeping up this final being a showcase of cagey veterans along with Marchand. Connor McDavid could not get his team on track, and Edmonton took 15 minors — led by Evander Kane's three plus a misconduct to add up to 85 penalty minutes — including a brawl that ensued with less than 10 minutes left. Trent Frederic and Darnell Nurse, who fought Jonah Gadjovich, got misconducts that knocked them out of a game with an outcome determined long before. After the final looked as evenly matched as can be with Games 1 and 2 each needing extra time, overtime and then double OT, Game 3 was a lopsided mismatch. The Oilers came unglued to the point Jake Walman resorted to squirting water on Panthers players on their bench from his spot on the visiting side. The teams have some extra time off before Game 4 on Thursday night, when the Panthers have the chance to take a 3-1 lead and move to the verge of going back to back.
