In a rare instance of a trusted insider being misinformed, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman had a recent report disputed by the player he was reporting on. When Friedman shared that Brad Marchand and the Boston Bruins were working on a contract extension, he mentioned that the two sides were making ground on a three-year deal. Marchand was asked about the report after the Bruins’ overtime win against Toronto but said the report was false and that Friedman was wrong.
The NHL insider addressed the rebuffed report on his podcast on Monday. Acknowledging that Marchand is the best source because he’s the one who is actually going to sign the contract, Friedman noted that if Marchand is saying there’s not a deal coming, he believes him. Friedman didn’t believe, however, that Marchand’s comments meant talks were non-existent.
“I don’t believe talks have broken off between the Bruins and Marchand,” Friedman said. “I don’t think is a situation where they’ve stopped discussing it or they’re no longer moving forward in attempts to sign an extension.”
At this point, it’s not clear where the Bruins and Marchand stand. The two sides might be talking about a contract, but Marchand didn’t comment on the status of his negotiations and said he wouldn’t discuss his contract through the media. That has left Friedman and others guessing as to where things sit, with the possibility Marchand is just playing coy.
Are the Bruins and Marchand Not on the Same Page Over Term?
The Bruins have been known to take a hard stance on contract talks, recently making things awkward with goaltender Jeremy Swayman. If there’s a sticking point with their captain, it could be the term that is creating the delay. Marchand did seem to stop short of saying something about the three years when saying Friedman was off-base in his reporting.
