BOSTON -- Brad Marchand had three surgeries this offseason and is hoping to be ready for the start of training camp, the Boston Bruins captain revealed Tuesday.
“I didn't do a whole lot of training [until] about two weeks ago,” Marchand said after the Bruins held a captains practice. “So, I'm just kind of getting back into it. ... The goal is to try to be ready for camp or, if not, very shortly after. But I'm just kind of getting back in the swing of things now. Going to hit it all head-on."
Marchand had surgery on his elbow for a torn tendon, his groin to address a sports hernia, and his abdominal area, also for a sports hernia.
“I did my arm last summer, was kind of playing with it throughout the year,” Marchand said of when the injuries occurred. “I decided if it continued to aggravate me in the summer that I would get it done. The other two I did [with] a month left in the season. They kept bugging me into the summer, so I figured I’d get them taken care of.”
The 36-year-old forward had 67 points (29 goals, 38 assists) in 82 games in the regular season after replacing the retired Patrice Bergeron as Bruins captain. He had 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 11 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where Boston lost to the eventual champion Florida Panthers in six games in the Eastern Conference Second Round.
The Bruins open training camp Sept. 18.
“There’s a lot of work to be done,” Marchand said. “The summer that I had is not typical for what I’m used to, and it might take to the season. It might take a little bit into the season, but I’ll treat the next two months like a summer and train and skate the way that I normally would in the summer, kind of from now on.
“The biggest thing is probably getting conditioning back up to speed. I think that’s kind of the biggest thing. My strength’s kind of there already. Power and conditioning, I think is where I need to focus to get back to where I need to be.”
And where is he now in terms of readiness?
“I’m just starting, so I’m at the bottom,” Marchand said.
Marchand is entering the final season of the eight-year, $49 million contract ($6.125 million average annual value) he signed Sept. 26, 2016. He has played each of his 15 seasons with the Bruins since being selected in the third round (No. 71) of the 2006 NHL Draft.
Asked whether progress has been made on a new deal, Marchand did not want to elaborate on any potential discussions publicly.
Marchand has said before that he wants to keep playing until he’s at least 40.
“I’m going to say this now and kind of leave it at that, but I won’t ever talk about contract stuff in the media,” Marchand said. “I saw a report come out the other day -- I think it was the Hockey News, I don’t know where he’s getting his information -- but it wasn’t from our side. We’re not going to talk about it.
“Whatever goes on will stay internal between [general manager Don Sweeney] and our group. I’m going to leave it at that. I think there’s enough respect between the two sides that we can deal with it. We’ll leave it at that.”
