NHL Trade Buzz: Marchand has ‘always planned’ on staying with Bruins

Welcome to the NHL Trade Buzz. There are 11 days remaining until the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline (3 p.m. ET on March 7). Here's a look around the League at the latest deadline doings:

Boston Bruins

Brad Marchand wants to remain in Boston but knows he is a candidate to be moved before the Trade Deadline.

The Bruins forward and captain becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Marchand, who has played his entire 16-season NHL career with Boston, has 45 points (20 goals, 25 assists) in 58 games.

“I’ve always planned on playing here my entire career,” Marchand said after practice Monday. “That hasn’t changed. They’re aware of that. I think everyone’s aware of that. It’s a gift to be playing for this team and I take a tremendous amount of pride in it. So yeah, it’s always been a goal.”

When general manager Don Sweeney addressed the media Sunday, he said the Bruins would take a “more cautious approach” to the Deadline than in the past. That could include trading pieces of the current roster, including Marchand, to bolster the team for the future, especially with defenseman Hampus Lindholm likely out for the rest of the season, and defenseman Charlie McAvoy out indefinitely.

Asked whether he feels like he has some control over the situation, given his standing with the team, Marchand said, “We’re obviously in talks and I feel like I understand where I’m at personally.”

Carolina Hurricanes

Mikko Rantanen is focused on the Hurricanes and not about what the future might have in store.

"For me, it's pretty easy," the forward said Monday. "I understand there's noise around it but for me, I don't read any news and stuff, so it's pretty easy to just focus on the hockey. I can understand people speculate and stuff and that's normal, but I don't do that. It's just about playing hockey and focusing on that."

The 28-year-old, who was part of a blockbuster three-team trade with the Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 24, is in the final year of a six-year contract he signed with the Avalanche on Sept. 28, 2019. Rantanen can become an unrestricted free agent after this season.

Rantanen played the first 619 games of his NHL career with Colorado and helped it win the Stanley Cup in 2022. He has three points (one goal, two assists) in seven games since the trade to Carolina, averaging 20:10 of ice time on the top line with Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis.

Selected No. 10 by the Avalanche at the 2015 NHL Draft, Rantanen has 684 points (288 goals, 396 assists) in 626 regular-season games with the Avalanche and Hurricanes and 101 points (34 goals, 67 assists) in 81 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Chicago Blackhawks

Seth Jones confirmed Friday he's open to waiving his no-movement clause to be traded to a Stanley Cup contender.

The 30-year-old defenseman has four more seasons remaining on his contract after this one with an average annual value of $9.5 million. Jones has 26 points (six goals, 20 assists) in 40 games and leads the Blackhawks in time on ice per game (24:30).

"I've been (with Chicago) the last four years through probably the darkest times the Blackhawks have seen for a while," Jones told The Athletic. "I think things are moving up, they are moving forward. But I think my timeline might be different than Kyle (Davidson, general manager) and Norm's (Maciver, associate GM) and the Blackhawks.

"There's nothing against anybody. I'm not holding it against anybody what they decided to do here. Sometimes it's not in everyone's plans."

There's no doubt Jones, a right-handed shot, could help a contender down the stretch. The No. 4 pick by the Nashville Predators in the 2013 NHL Draft, he has 431 points (96 goals, 335 assists) in 837 regular-season games with the Predators, Columbus Blue Jackets and Blackhawks.

Jones was acquired by Chicago in a trade with Columbus on July 23, 2021. He signed an eight-year contract five days later.