How Brad Marchand Feels About Bruins’ Offseason Additions

BOSTON — Brad Marchand saw a few of his longtime Boston Bruins teammates retire this offseason while others were traded or signed elsewhere. Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci headline that list, of course, but Marchand grew familiar with Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno in recent years, as well.

That’s the business side of the National Hockey League, as both Marchand and Charlie Coyle confirmed Tuesday when they spoke with reporters after the first captains’ practice of the 2023-24 campaign.

Other examples of the business side in the NHL, though, are the players the Bruins signed this offseason. Marchand now has a handful of teammates he didn’t have in 2022-23, and the veteran winger shared how he felt about Boston’s offseason.

“Not only did they bring good leaders and older guys, but they’re really good guys, too,” Marchand said in the team’s dressing room at Warrior Ice Arena in reference to Milan Lucic, James van Riemsdyk and Kevin Shattenkirk.

“It’s something they (the Bruins) take a lot of pride in, the organization bringing good people and they did that again this year.”

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Marchand acknowledged the retirement of Bergeron, and stressed how the Bruins will fill Bergeron’s leadership void with a committee approach. Boston has not yet named a captain, and while Marchand figures to be in the mix for the “C,” he believes the veteran newcomers will complement those already in the building.

“I think that’s something that gets lost a little bit throughout the league. Everyone wants to go young, but a lot of the teams that go far in playoffs are older teams, have a lot of really good old veteran core,” Marchand said. “When you have guys who have been around and played a long time, they just don’t get bothered by little things. They don’t have those big mountains and valleys, they’re able to stay even-keel.

“The more leadership, leaders you have on your team, the easier it’s going to be at harder times throughout the year,” Marchand said.

The Bruins will host two more captains’ practices before starting training camp Sept. 20. Boston will face the New York Rangers in its preseason opener Sept. 24 and kick off its regular season Oct. 11 against the Chicago Blackhawks at TD Garden.