Boston Bruins Re-Sign Brad Marchand: What He Means to the Stanley Cup Champs

Boston Bruins fans certainly have the right to breathe easier as rising sophomore winger Brad Marchand has signed a two-year contract extension worth $5 million, two days prior to training camp.

No bystander, though, is entitled to such a luxury nearly as much as teammate Patrice Bergeron. The summer-long specter of Marchand’s abrupt departure would have meant clipping both of the wings off of Bergeron’s prolific line with the addition of Mark Recchi’s retirement.

Instead, the eight-year veteran and alternate captain will now have a chance to keep working with Marchand and build upon that Stanley Cup they helped clinch with two goals apiece in Game 7 in Vancouver.

And together, they can smoothly integrate a third linemate the same way Bergeron and Recchi did for Marchand when he effectively succeeded Marco Sturm in the middle of last season. The many potential candidates include: free-agent acquisitions Benoit Pouliot or Chris Clark, Jordan Caron or even Tyler Seguin.

In addition, head coach Claude Julien can take comfort knowing that Marchand will not join Recchi and Michael Ryder in creating a third void on his championship-caliber depth chart. Had Marchand departed, it would have meant giving up two wingers who each charged up 41 points in the 2010-11 regular season and logged similar numbers in the playoffs.

But that’s no longer a cause for concern. And with a healthy Nathan Horton raring to reunite with Milan Lucic and David Krejci, Marchand’s re-signing means there is only one vacancy within the top six instead of two.

The new deal also means salvaging an invaluable element of youth in the Bruins’ foundation for long-term Cup contention. If one were to size up Marchand and Ryder’s comparable stats from last year and be told only one would return, they would doubtlessly take the 23-year-old Marchand over the 31-year-old Ryder.

Among all of this year’s presumptive regulars on the Boston offense, only Seguin and Caron will be younger.

Everyone else, with the exception of Lucic, is at least a full year older. In turn, everyone else will be all the more susceptible to residual wear-and-tear compared to their younger, more energized colleagues.

Speaking of Lucic, keeping Marchand in the equation, essentially means having two youngsters of the same age and of a similar package. They both offer an already decent scoring touch that promises to get more prolific down the road. They both offer an element of physicality that retains the franchise’s effectual ideals of the Big, Bad Bruins and the Lunch Pail Gang.

Julien’s ability to have that package on each of his top two lines ought to make his life much easier as Lucic and Marchand vie to keep endearing themselves to the fastidiously goal-hungry, hit-hungry TD Garden masses.

Not to mention, this will be a year that follows such an intensive and lengthy run to the Cup. In a situation like this, a combination of youth and physical durability comes highly recommended to ward off the hangover and fatigue that comes with a victory party and short offseason.

Accordingly, even after expending himself to insert 11 goals in 25 postseason games, Marchand ought to be one of the more leaned-on players this season, along with the rest of those under the age of 25.

Granted, Marchand could have theoretically been replaced by one of many similarly youthful grinders in the league. But having lived through a full, nine-month journey in Julien’s dressing room, his knowledge automatically makes him a more favorable option for Boston than anybody else.

Furthermore, it remains yet to be seen if his penchant for scoring shorthanded goals was a one-year wonder. Out of 21 regular-season strikes in his rookie year, five came on an opponent’s power-play.

For what it’s worth, when he was in the Quebec Major Junior League, Marchand scored seven shorties out of 64 total goals in a span of two seasons.

If there is more where that came from, one can bet Marchand will not be a one-year wonder with the Bruins, either. More likely, he will more than earn the $2 million that will be doled out to him this season and the 50 percent raise that is scheduled to follow for the 2012-13 campaign.