Seguin Staying in Boston

When the news of Brad Marchand being signed for a four year contract extension was announced, I knew it was only a matter of time before the Bruins locked down Brad’s linemate Tyler Seguin. Today many of the Bruins players, including Seguin, took to the ice for an optional skate in Wilmington. It was here that General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced that Seguin was signed to a six-year contract extension through the 2018-2019 season. His contract is worth $5.75 million annually over the next six years. With this deal, Seguin is the highest paid forward on the team and second highest paid player behind Zdeno Chara.

Though the NHL labor talks haven’t been getting any better, it’s good to see that the Bruins are still continuing to make moves. I think that this move was key for the future of the Boston Bruins. Earlier this summer when the Carolina Hurricanes locked up Jeff Skinner for a six-year contract, I had a feeling that the B’s would make a similiar move with Seguin.

This past season, Seguin led the team with 29 goals and 67 points and became the youngest player in team history to hold the team scoring title. Needless to say in only two seasons, he has made an impact on the club.

Seguin tweeted his excitement following the announcement:

 Shortly after Chiarelli and Seguin took to a conference call to discuss the signing. On the signing Chiarelli said:

“Seguin’s a young exciting player, maturing before our eyes. The sky’s the limit for Tyler.” (via Bruins Twitter)

And it seems as though Seguin is eager to continue his progress with the Bruins saying,

“I have high expectations of myself…that’s going to keep me motivated, keep me going.” (via Bruins twitter)

This is good news for Boston regardless of if a lock out occurs. Seguin and Marchand are the future of the Bruins organizations and it’s nice to see that the Chiarelli and Co. are taking the time to lock down key players.

Banking on Brad

Brad Marchand extends contract through 2017-2018 (Photo Credit: Steph Phillips)

With the idea of the NHL lock out coming closer and closer, the Boston Bruins are still focusing on having a season and maintaining contracts with the current team.

Today it was announced that forward Brad Marchand has been signed to a four-year contract extension through the 2016-2017 season. His contract will be worth an average of $4.5 million annually, $18million all together.  This deal makes Marchand the fourth highest paid player on the team, behind guys like Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron.  While it may seem like a lot of money, Marchand has accomplished a lot in the past two seasons wearing his black and gold sweater.

The 5′ 9″ little ball of hate has managed to be among the teams top scorers in both seasons, contributing 49 goals and 48 assists combined, setting a career high of 28 goals last season.  While he has a major influence on the ice in scoring goals, he has also provided the Bruins with some hefty penalty minutes as well with 138 minutes spent in the box.  We also can’t forget his greatest contribution of helping the team win the Stanley Cup in 2011 by sealing the fourth and final goal of Game 7.

“It’s always nice when you sign players,  but it’s nice when you sign a player like Brad, who has worked his way up through and played the way we enjoy watching.  He has an in-your-face game, he sacrifices his body and he’s really coming into his own as an offensive player,” Chiarelli told the Herald’s Steve Conroy.

Along with Marchand big names like Milan Lucic, Tuukka Rask and Tyler Seguin are also looking to be locked up this season, as they are RFA’s come July, while Nathan Horton and Andrew Ference will be considered unrestricted.

Sticking to his game plan, Chiarelli has continued to lock up his core players that he had during the Cup run, and given recent events, we can assume that this pattern will continue.  With a market already being set for Seguin with Taylor Hall and Jeff Skinner signing contracts averaging the $6million mark per season, we can assume he will get somewhere along those lines.

While the current CBA negotiations try to hinder GM signings, Chiarelli is still jumping at the chance to sign his core.

“I can’t ignore (the labor situation) and I’m trying not to.  We’re trying to lock up core guys, we;re trying to lock up the critical mass of our team (but) I’ve told the guys ‘Look, if the system changes dramatically and I have to shuffle pieces around, I have to do that.’ That’s part of the business and, when we’re signing guys, they’re okay with that.”(via Boston Herald)

 

Bruins Beneficial Short Season

“The sides are far apart and have different views of the world,” said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman Tuesday after the NHLPA presented an alternative agreement to the collective bargaining agreement. Currently, the players are proposing to partner with the owners of the clubs to bring stability to the industry and assist those who are less financially stable.  They want to fix the current existing problems, rather than focus on problems that don’t.  With the realization of a lock out becoming more and more evident, we have to start looking at the positives of the situation. Perhaps a lockout wouldn’t be the worst thing for the Boston Bruins.