Brad Marchand agrees to eight-year extension with Bruins
The Boston Bruins have locked up their top winger through 2025.
The team reached the deal with Brad Marchand on Monday, agreeing to an eight-year contract extension worth $49 million. The deal will pay Marchand, whose current deal expires after this season, an average annual value of $6.125 million.
That's quite the steal for the 28-year-old Marchand, who has been one of Boston's best forwards over the past few years. Last season Marchand finished with a team-high 37 goals, good enough for sixth-best in the NHL. Though it was the first time he eclipsed the 30-goal mark in his career, it was also the first season in which Marchand saw significant power play time. His shooting percentage in 2015-2016 (14.8 %) was actually a few ticks below his career average.
Marchand is also recognized as one of the best two-way forwards in the NHL and has been playing on Team Canada's top line -- alongside Sidney Crosby and Bruins linemate Patrice Bergeron -- at the World Cup of Hockey.
He may have gotten significantly more money on the open market next summer, but Marchand previously stated that he wanted to play out the entirety of his career with the Bruins, who drafted him in the third round of the 2006 NHL Draft. This new deal is certainly a significant step into making that a reality.
