After a career season, Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand will look to prove he is here to stay.
Brad Marchand, what can’t I say about this Boston Bruins star. He has the hands of an angel, a sniper rifle for a wrist shot, and he loves to antagonize opposing players.
Chad Zimmerman just wrote here on Chowder and Champions that he is the player the Bruins can’t afford to lose.
Marchand is coming off the best season of his career. He tallied 39 goals (tied for 4th in NHL) and 46 assists on the season. He even boasted an impressive 1.06 points per game which was 7th in the entire league. Marchand also proved how he is a player that the Bruins can lean on in pressure situations scoring 8 GWG last season. Also Marchy even made his first all star team.
In the offseason, we have seen Marchand gain some popularity among the national media. Our Logan Jakubajtys wrote about how the NHL Network rated Marchand the 3rd best winger in the league right now. The honor seems even more impressive when you see the full list of guys he is ahead of.
And the Top 20 Wings Right Now are…#NHLTopPlayers pic.twitter.com/JDQEV17bmd
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) August 14, 2017
Being ahead of guys like Vladimir Tarasenko and especially Alexander Ovechkin really show how Marchand is viewed as a top tier player.
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As a Bruins fan and especially a Brad Marchand fan, it brings a sense of pride and happiness to see an amazing talent like his being realized by the national hockey media.
Season Expectations
Some people are wondering if Marchand can keep up this level of play. The answer is simple… yes. Marchand is about to continue to grow. I think there will not be a drop off this year but an improvement. He will probably have a 40-40 season which would be the first of his career. I think just like last season Marchand will be the spark plug for the Bruins offense. Boston Bruins fans should expect this for many seasons to come. Especially with Marchand entering the second year of his 8 year $49 million contract.
Next: 2017-2018 Boston Bruins season preview
Lastly, I hope Marchand will be the agitator that all Bruins love. Just without the costly nut-shots that get him suspended.