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Peter Chiarelli: Bruins still negotiating with Brad Marchand 07.11.11 at 1:30 pm ET
By DJ Bean

WILMINGTON — Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said after the team’s development camp that there is no news to report with regard to contract negotiations with restricted free agent Brad Marchand.

“We’ve continued to talk,” Chiarelli said. “We’ve had some discussion, and we’ll leave it at that.”

Marchand, 23, scored 21 goals and added 20 assists for 41 points in his rookie season, winning the team’s seventh player award. He finished second on the Bruins with 11 postseason goals, and his plus-12 rating put him in a tie for third on the B’s in the playoffs.

The young winger is the only Bruins’ restricted free agent. Given that they have qualified him, the team match any offer sheet Marchand signs with another club or lose him in exchange for draft pick compensation. Defenseman Shane Hnidy is the lone other unsigned player, but the B’s have told the restricted free agent that they will not be offering him a contract.

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  • Dismas

    At this point I feel Marchand’s all but gone. Some team is going to feel like he’s this great unclaimed asset and overpay him. We’ll have our moment to match but I’m sure the underlying attitude from the front office of recently winning and now safe to coast for a few seasons or more will prevail. I agree with those who are cautious not to overpay a 41-point single breakout season niche-y kind of player like Marchand. However I have to side with those who value his chippy intangibles, his “high motor” (as much as I hate those terms), and above average shot-making ability that can fire up his linemates and the bench which can translate into better play overall. I’d really like to see him in the black and gold for at least 2 more to see what we really have in him without giving up all-star money.

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