Bruins must weigh the pros and cons of trading Brad Marchand

Boston Globe

04-03-2025

Pending UFAs such as
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But what about captain Brad Marchand?
Much like Frederic, Marchand's viability as a trade chip makes plenty of sense for a selling team such as the Bruins, given Marchand's standing as a pending unrestricted free agent.
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But the decision to move on from a team captain whose No. 63 sweater could one day hang in the TD Garden rafters is a call that Sweeney and Co. will not take lightly — especially with the veteran already
As the Bruins mull their options in the coming days, here are the pros and cons of trading Marchand.
PRO: Trading Marchand would give a retooling Bruins team a strong return
If the Bruins opt for a more cautious sell-off, they'd stand to recoup a couple of draft picks by moving on from Frederic (
But if they are looking to actually accelerate their retool via a first-round pick, intriguing prospect, or young roster player, moving Marchand offers the greatest opportunity.
Marchand, 36, is exactly the type of player that contending teams would pay a premium to acquire. He may not be the same franchise winger he was a few years ago, but he is still a productive middle-six forward on pace for 28 goals and 62 points this season. His two-way skillset, Stanley Cup pedigree, and knack for both producing in the playoffs (138 points in 157 postseason games) and pestering opponents make him a coveted player.
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A Bruins franchise hindered by a barren prospect pipeline would welcome landing a second- or third-round pick for a player such as Frederic.
But could the Bruins secure a haul for Marchand similar to the package they paid in 2018 to bring in a 33-year-old Rick Nash? Boston coughed up a 2018 first-round pick, two NHL roster players (Ryan Spooner and a depressed asset in Matt Beleskey) as well as a promising prospect (Ryan Lindgren) as the headliners of the deal.
CON: Finding a replacement for Marchand is not easy, especially if the Bruins want a short retool
Ultimately, the Bruins' decision might revolve around their retooling plan. Do they think they can aggressively build around franchise pillars already in place (David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy)?
If the Bruins think they can right the ship this offseason, moving on from Marchand may not be the best move.
An anemic Bruins offense that has tallied two goals or fewer in 32 of 62 games this season has felt the sting of moving on from an inconsistent scorer in Jake DeBrusk in free agency last summer.
Trading Marchand would help Boston's long-term plans, no question.
But if the Bruins really think they can rejigger their roster in record time to make the most of Pastrnak and McAvoy's prime, dealing Marchand would create yet another vacancy in Boston's already unimpressive forward corps.
If the Bruins are able to bridge the gap on a new contract with Marchand moving forward — especially one at a lower rate than his current $6.125 million annual payout — having a 20-goal winger with Marchand's skillset stands as tremendous value.
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All things considered, this Bruins team is ideally is looking to add scoring, rather than subtracting from an already listless roster.
PRO: A trade eliminates risk of losing Marchand for nothing
Both Marchand and Sweeney have said all of the right things when it comes to determining the captain's long-term future in Boston.
Sweeney noted on Feb. 23 that making Marchand a 'Bruin for life'
'I've always planned on playing here my entire career. That hasn't changed,'
Of course, both Steven Stamkos and Lightning GM Julien BriseBois also said all the right things in the months leading up to the Tampa Bay captain's pending free agency.
In an ideal scenario, the Bruins and Marchand work out a deal that keeps him in a black and gold sweater for his entire career.
But as evidenced by Stamkos's eventual free-agent exit from Tampa last July, those ideal situations don't always play out — not when business takes precedence over emotion and nostalgia.
And if the Bruins and Marchand can't come to terms on a new contract before Friday's deadline, the Bruins might view a trade as the natural next step, especially if both parties don't feel as though they can bridge the gap on term or money.
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If Marchand was willing to sign a short-term deal at a similar cheap value like previous Bruins captains like Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara, one would assume that the ink would have already been long dry on a contract at this point.
But if Marchand is seeking a multi-year deal, the Bruins might be hesitant to agree to that contract — especially if it's at a payout similar to his current $6.125 million cap hit.
Granted, the Bruins have made the most of Marchand's current deal — where they've reaped the benefits of having a top-five winger in his prime years making well below his projected contractual value.
But if Marchand is looking for something akin to what Stamkos was seeking in terms of security and fiscal compensation (four years, $32 million with the Predators), the Bruins might have to accept that such a contractual impasse can't be remedied.
If the Bruins feel as if they can't realistically find middle ground with Marchand, a trade — even if it hinders the team in the short term amid a quick retool — still stands as a better alternative than letting Marchand walk in July.
Such a scenario where Marchand willingly signs elsewhere in free agency seems unheard of. Granted, a lot of Lightning fans and staffers probably thought the same thing exactly a year ago.
Con: Marchand's leadership would be missed on a Bruins team in transition
Speaking after Boston's loss to the Islanders last week, Marchand spoke like a veteran leader already looking to right the wrongs of the season … in 2025-26.
'Obviously it hasn't been the season that we've wanted and we haven't had the success that we would have liked this time of the year,' Marchand said. 'But the good thing is that we're coming together over it.
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'And at the end of the day, we may not achieve what we hope to this year, but that doesn't mean that we can't build for something greater and bring it back next year.''
As the Bruins look to the future and try to augment their roster, keeping Marchand might hold value beyond his on-ice contributions.
Unlike in previous seasons where the Bruins' leadership corps was complemented by established veterans like Nick Foligno, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Pat Maroon, the Bruins are now one of the younger teams in the league. Beyond Marchand, the only other two players over age 30 are Coyle and Elias Lindholm.
Amid the expected influx of new faces set to join Boston's roster this summer, Sweeney's musings last month seem to signal an emphasis on adding younger players capable of stepping into great roles moving forward.
'Do we make moves that acquire and restock? Can we find players that are a little further along and identify them properly? All of the above are all parts of the equation,' Sweeney said on Feb. 23, later adding. 'It's just about where the wheels spin.
'As a general manager, you're trying to improve your hockey club overall and improve organizational depth. So, we have to do a better job, and that's what will be tasked going forward.'
As the last vestige of Boston's 2011 Cup run and the final link to a leadership grouping headlined by Bergeron and Chara, Marchand could still hold value to a Bruins team set to pen a new chapter moving forward.
By the same token, keeping Marchand for the sake of said leadership — instead of flipping him for assets and putting the onus on a new cast of vets to lead the charge — might keep Boston in the same crossroads.
Conor Ryan can be reached at