Bruins captain Brad Marchand underwent a trio of surgical procedures this summer season, he advised reporters at an off-the-cuff skate Tuesday (via Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub). The winger could also be barely restricted to begin coaching camp later this month however expects to be prepared for opening evening, per Scott McLaughlin of WEEI.
The primary process Marchand had accomplished was to restore a torn tendon in his elbow that plagued him for the whole thing of the 2023-24 marketing campaign, he mentioned. He additionally underwent stomach and groin surgical procedures to restore accidents he sustained late within the common season.
These accidents barely value Marchand any enjoying time. For the second time in his profession, he performed in all 82 regular-season video games, however he missed two playoff video games with what the crew referred to as an upper-body harm. That one was presumably addressed with stomach surgical procedure.
Marchand slowed offensively in 2023-24, however whether or not that was due to his accidents or age stays to be seen. The 15-year veteran is coming into his age-36 season and posted 67 factors (0.82 per recreation) final yr, his lowest per-game fee since 2015-16. He nonetheless managed to complete second on the crew in scoring behind David Pastrňák and helped lead the Bruins to their first playoff collection win since 2021 in his first season as captain following Patrice Bergeron’s retirement.
He’ll reprise his top-six position this season, however doubtless not on a line with Pastrňák with free-agent signing Elias Lindholm down the center. Marchand mentioned he expects to begin the yr again on the crew’s second line, centered by Charlie Coyle (via Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe).
It’s an necessary marketing campaign for Marchand as he kicks off the ultimate yr of the eight-year, $49M extension he signed again in 2016. Common supervisor Don Sweeney
said in May that signing Marchand to an extension was one in all his prime priorities this summer season, but it surely hasn’t occurred but.
