Hey, What About Brad Marchand's Future with the Boston Bruins?

With all the focus on the Bruins' efforts to re-sign goalie Jeremy Swayman, people seem to have forgotten that the captain's contract expires after this season, says Ken Campbell.

Perhaps Brad Marchand was saying it just to make himself feel better. Perhaps he was trying to convince himself that signing a team-friendly eight-year extension just before busting out as an NHL star was not the worst thing in the world.

But for years and years, Marchand has told anyone who would listen that the Boston Bruins do things differently.

Their guys take less money to keep the group together and the culture strong. 

Then Charlie McAvoy got paid. Then David Pastrnak got paid. Then Jeremy Swayman reportedly asked for $10 million a year on a long-term deal.

And all of a sudden, perhaps the Bruins aren't doing things all that differently anymore.

So how does Marchand view this situation, one that will see him potentially become a UFA after the 2024-25 season? 

He'll be 37 by then and won't be cashing in the way McAvoy, Pastrnak and (presumably) Swayman have, but if he can score 30 goals and still be a massive pain in the rear end, he'll definitely have some value, likely on a deal that would be no more than three years.

But will it be with Boston? They want him, and he wants to be back. 

But Marchand has carried a lot of water for that organization over the past decade or so and been a company man, perhaps to a fault. 

There have been no negotiations between the Bruins and Marchand's camp, but that could change in training camp. Once the Swayman situation is resolved, the Bruins will almost certainly turn their attention to Marchand.

It will be really interesting to see how this goes. Here's more:

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