There has been a lot made of Brad Marchand and the Boston Bruins this season. Things did not start off smoothly for the Bruins and Marchand. It goes back to the summer with the Jeremy Swayman contract extension, which was carried over into the regular season.
There was some turmoil with former coach and now head coach of the St. Louis Blues Jim Montgomery. Marchand put that aside and told the media that he was fine with his coach calling him out on the bench and that he had to play better. In 57 games with the Bruins, he has 44 points (20 goals and 24 assists), so much for having a down year for Marchand. He has hit the 20-goal mark every year in the league. The only year he didn’t was the lockout-shortened year of 2012-13. There, he hit 18 goals, and if it was a normal season, he would get there.
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But ever since he was named to Team Canada’s Four Nations roster, he looked like a different player. He played in Canada’s opening game with limited ice time, but he is on the big stage, and that is where he shines.
On the latest edition of Hot or Not on TSN’s That’s Hockey with Rod Smith and Frankie Corrado, they debate the play of Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins and if it is his best of the season.
Rod Smith: “How about Brad Marchand? He scored in Canada’s tournament opener. That is the best that he has looked all year. Hot or Not?”
Frankie Corrado: “Hot. Brad Marchand was unbelievable. That whole third line was unbelievable. Brayden Point was great. And Seth Jarvis, a player who not many considered likely to be on that team, really fit in with both of those guys. And we know it hasn’t been a great season for the Boston Bruins.
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They’ve had their issues scoring, but it’s funny how you put Brad Marchand with two players like that, and all of a sudden, they had a lot of chemistry. They were hard to play against. They were around the net. Of course, Marchand scores the goal. I liked a lot of what Brad Marchand did in that game, and that third line is quickly becoming one of my favorites for Team Canada.
There has been much talk heading into the tournament about Marchand’s future with the Bruins. The Bruins captain is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. Boston has tough questions to ask themselves: do they keep him or move him, especially after the rumored three-year extension did not happen? The Bruins captain is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. This has not stopped teams from calling about him.
Now, Canada did switch lines ahead of the game with Team USA. He is on a line with Sam Bennett and Seth Jarvis. So let’s see if he can build off a good first game. If Brad Marchand continues to have a good tournament for Canada, that could fuel things even more.”
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