Bruins' Brad Marchand Acknowledges Exit From Franchise is Possible

Brad Marchand has long been a cornerstone of the Boston Bruins, but he knows Father Time remains undefeated as the forward enters the final year of his eight-year, $49 million contract .

Marchand opened up about the uncertainty of his future with the franchise in an interview with Amelie Benjamin of NHL.com , and he acknowledged that a potential exit from Boston is on the table if the Bruins don't entertain extending his contract.

Despite both sides expressing mutual respect and interest in continuing their partnership beyond the 2024–25 season, Marchand has acknowledged that there is currently no agreement in place for an extension—and he's prepared for the possibility that the Bruins may not offer one.

“There’s enough respect between the two sides that we can deal with it,” Marchand said. "We’ll leave it at that."

Marchand understands that his age, injury history, and the inevitable questions about his ability to keep up with the league’s younger talent could play a role in whether or not the Bruins decide to move forward with him.

"Whatever goes on will stay internal between [general manager Don Sweeney] and our group," Marchand said. "I’m going to leave it at that."

Marchand, already 36 years old, has dealt with challenges head-on, including undergoing three surgeries in the offseason as he revealed in the same interview with the preseason around the corner.

"As you get older, everybody’s trying to push you out," Marchand said on September 3 at the Bruins captain practice, per Fluto Shizawa of The Athletic . "The young guys are trying to take your job. Teams are looking to go young."

For what's worth, Marchand posted 29 goals and 38 assists last season and helped the Bruins reach the second round of the playoffs before falling to the Florida Panthers.

Related: Report: Bruins & Jeremy Swayman Facing 'Sizable Gap' in Negotiations