Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports
The Boston Bruins sure have been stealing some headlines during this offseason. First they watched Nathan Horton walk away to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Then they traded Tyler Seguin, once deemed the future of the team, to the Dallas Stars. Finally, the team signed former trade deadline enemy Jarome Iginla to a one year deal. It was quite a head-spinning few days for Bruins fans.
All of these moves definitely had the fan base on edge. Turns out all it would take was an innocent tweet to send everyone over.
Yesterday, Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe tweeted that he wouldn’t be surprised if both Brad Marchand and Chris Kelly are the next to be dealt by the Bruins. No sources were quoted, nor did he put any real legitimacy beyond speculation. However, the news blew up on Twitter, was discussed on sports radio and even written about in various blogs.
It truly is silly season in the NHL.
After the “story” sent fans into panic mode at the mere thought of losing their favorite pugilist, various media members put the Marchand issue to bed. Joe Haggerty of Comcast Sportsnet New England even spoke to Bruins President Cam Neely, who was quoted as saying, “I think we’re very happy with the team we have moving forward here for a while.”
Take a breath, Boston fans. For the time being, there’s no smoke to these rumors.
One would hope the Bruins are done blowing out core members of their roster. Sure, a Marchand trade could’ve very well been in the cards had Boston been eliminated in the first round by the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, when a team makes the Stanley Cup Finals, typically the lines aren’t decimated in the offseason.
The fan reaction to the idea of trading Marchand is legitimate. Already getting rid of one of Patrice Bergeron‘s linemates in Seguin, Boston would be completely erasing one of the more productive lines in hockey by shipping their “little ball of hate.” When Marchand is on his game, he’s incredibly effective, scoring with underrated accuracy while also bugging the bejesus out of opponents.
For now, though, people can rest easy knowing this wasn’t an actual rumor. There’s still plenty of time in the offseason for such a move to occur. However, let’s wait until actual source-fueled material is discussed before freaking out.
Casey Drottar is a Boston Bruins writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @CDrottar19 or “Like” him on Facebook
