The 2024-25 season has been anything but consistent for the Boston Bruins. For the first time in several years, they are not a guaranteed playoff team. At this juncture, they are 26-22-6 and sixth in the Atlantic Division standings. They also trail the Columbus Blue Jackets by one point for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
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With the Bruins' struggles, captain and pending unrestricted free agent Brad Marchand has been the subject of trade rumors.
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In a recent episode of "32 Thoughts: The Podcast," NHL insider Elliotte Friedman questioned Marchand's future with the Original Six club.
"I think that [trading Marchand] only becomes a thing this year if Boston kind of falls out of the race," Friedman said. "Right now, they're out of the playoffs. Their math isn't great, either. They played more games than anybody else in the race. Now, there's still lots of time... But if Boston takes on water, I'm really going to be curious to see where this goes. There was a time in this year where I didn't think there was a chance that Marchand was going to be out, and now I think it's not as certain, depending on what happens here."
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It would be a franchise-altering move if the Bruins decided to trade Marchand. The 36-year-old winger has spent the entirety of his 16-year NHL career as a Bruin and is one of the best to ever play for the Original Six club. In addition, he is still one of their top offensive contributors today, as he is second on the team in goals (19), assists (23), and points (42) in 54 games.
It will be intriguing to see what the Bruins decide to do with Marchand.
