Bruins “are in no rush” to address Brad Marchand’s expiring contract

The Boston Bruins just ended their stalemate with goaltender Jeremy Swayman, but another contract situation is looming as captain Brad Marchand's contract expires after this season, but president Cam Neely doesn't seem too keen on that any time soon tackle as possible.

“After a lengthy standoff with Jeremy Swayman, the Bruins appear to be in no rush to address their captain’s soon-to-expire contract,” wrote Nick Kypreos of the Toronto Star. “Brad Marchand, at age 36, is on a team-friendly contract worth $6.1 million per season. I wonder if President Cam Neely has 25 or 30 million reasons why Marchand wants to stay here.”

Marchand is a Bruins legend, and it seems like at this point in his career he will either continue playing for Boston or retire. Seeing him play for another franchise would be shocking. However, it happens with legends. Steven Stamkos was simply released by the Tampa Bay Lightning, even though no one could have imagined that he would play for another team. He is now with the Nashville Predators.

It could be similar to players like Patrice Bergeron, who always had the option to return to the Bruins but ultimately decided to retire. It will be interesting to monitor this situation throughout the season.

The Bruins want to get going after the bitter defeat against the Utah Hockey Club

The Bruins hope to continue to be a consistent contender. For the past few years, fans have predicted the Bruins' decline, but it never seems to happen. They haven't won a Stanley Cup since 2011, but the team has made many playoff runs and reached the Finals several times since then.

Boston starts this season at 3-2-1, so it's not rocking the world, but it's still capable of making a run in the near future. The three wins came against the Montreal Canadiens, the Los Angeles Kings in overtime and the Colorado Avalanche. The Bruins' two regular season losses came against the Florida Panthers, who look just as good as they did a season ago. The overtime loss came on the road against the Utah Hockey Club.

The Bruins' next game is Tuesday against the Predators and Stamkos, who are off to a poor start at 0-5-0. It will be interesting to see how Boston performs. Despite a 0-5-0 record, the Predators are still a talented team that should improve as the season progresses, so it's a good test for the Bruins.