Brad Marchand Not in Trade Consideration, Says Chiarelli

Apr 24, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) looks for the puck in overtime against the Detroit Red Wings in game four of the first round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Joe Louis Arena. Boston won 3-2 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Brad Marchand Remains in Beantown

As the Boston Bruins have been reported to maintain an active offseason, several players could find their way out of Boston, Brad Marchand being one conceivable departure.

A tough postseason–five assists in 13 games–put a damper on an otherwise fine season for the Canadian winger. Solidly contributing to Bruins’ President’s Trophy year, the 26-year-old numbered 53 points during his 2013-14 82-game campaign, scoring 25 goals and adding 28 assists.

When evaluating what Brad Marchand’s doing to the salary cap, he’s actually not one of the Bruins worst expenditures; in fact, compared to Loui Eriksson‘s $4.5 million salary and Marc Savard‘s $4 million cap hit each of the next three seasons, the ex-Providence Bruin looks quite affordable.

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However, this Bruins’ squad revolves around performing in the playoffs, built with the hope of strongly contesting for Lord Stanley’s hardware. In that sense, many believe that General Manager Peter Chiarelli must review one or two big personnel changes, enough to create an avenue for several roster alterations.

Marchand realized that he may have peaked at the wrong time this year.

“It’s very tough,” Brad Marchand said. “You really want to perform and help the team. Playoff time is when you need to be big and you need to produce. I wasn’t able to accomplish that this year. I’ll have to focus even harder for next year…I don’t know. Hopefully I’m not going anywhere, but that’s up to management and the coaching staff. I guess we’ll see.”

Patrick Marleau, the longtime San Jose Sharks forward, has supposedly been the subject of trade talks with the B’s, and Marchand was skater involved on the Bruins’ end.

Chiarelli quickly dispelled the rumors.

“I have had no discussions for Marchand and I have no plans to trade him,” Chiarelli said, via WEEI.com. “I don’t make it a practice to respond to reports in the social media, but occasionally it is necessary.”