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Bruins GM Chiarelli: ‘I have no plans’ to trade Marchand

Brad Marchand

Boston Bruins’ Brad Marchand speaks to the media in the team’s locker room at TD Garden Friday, May 16, 2014, in Boston. The Montreal Canadiens eliminated the Bruins with a 3-1 win in Game 7 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff NHL hockey series on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

AP

Trade rumours have been circulating around Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand, however the team’s general manager Peter Chiarelli shot those down on Friday.

According to Joe Haggerty of CSNNE.com, these latest rumours involved Marchand and San Jose Sharks veteran forward Patrick Marleau.

“I have had no discussions for Marchand and I have no plans to trade him,” Chiarelli told CSNNE.com. “I don’t make it a practice to respond to reports in the social media, but occasionally it is necessary.”

Interesting, because this isn’t the first time Chiarelli has had to speak on Marchand trade speculation.

The 26-year-old winger has certainly created his share of controversy across the league - remember him in Vancouver this past December, taunting the Canucks and their fans in Boston’s first visit back to Rogers Arena since winning the Stanley Cup there in 2011? - and that has led to talk that perhaps the Bruins, fed up with his act, would look to move him.

Chiarelli addressed Marchand’s issue of sometimes crossing the line between effective agitator and aggressive forward to costing himself and the team in May, after the Bruins were knocked out of the Stanley Cup playoffs in the second round by rival Montreal.

“Every year I seem to have this comment about him finding a balance between irritant/agitator and real good player. I think sometimes his antics gets in the way,” said Chiarelli.

“This has been a discussion I’ve had, [coach Claude Julien’s] had over the course of three, four, five years, and it’s a challenge for Brad to play that aggressive way and not to cross the line.”

Marchand is just about to enter the second year of a four-year deal with the Bruins. It comes with an annual cap hit of $4.5 million.

He’s also coming off a frustrating post-season, in which he was held without a goal in 12 games, and took two different trips to the penalty box in a Game 7 loss to Montreal.

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