The Boston Bruins are 2-0 since trading away captain Brad Marchand, picking up big wins over two of the best teams in the NHL in the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers. That has led some to wonder if maybe Marchand was actually part of the problem, and that the team is better off without him.
Mike Milbury is not one of those people. Asked about that notion during his weekly appearance on The Greg Hill Show on Thursday, the former Bruins defenseman and coach called it “bullcrap.” Listen to the full interview above.
“Bullcrap. That's just bullcrap,” Milbury said. “I don't believe that. First of all, his reputation as a good guy is long, and people have told me that all over the place. I've met him a couple times myself. He seems like a really good hockey player-type guy. He plays his butt off. There's no possible way that he could have been the reason for this. Anybody who suggests that to me I think is barking up the wrong tree.”
That said, Milbury does like what he’s seen from the new-look Bruins these last two games.
“Whatever happened, they rattled the cages, and they got a group of guys that look like they're quicker as a group, collectively,” Milbury said. “And they're fresher, collectively. None of these guys were like the go-to people on their team, and now they're having the opportunity to play a little bit more and get a different role with a different group of guys and try to make an impression on a new organization. And that has turned out to be, collectively, a good thing. Will it last? I'll be shocked if they make the playoffs with this group, and that it continues to go like that. But pin a rose on Don Sweeney for doing that and making them a group that looks like it's going to stay in it till the end. They still have a lot of teams to climb over, and I'm suspect that it will happen. But hey, listen, let's enjoy the light while it lasts.”
The Bruins decided to trade Marchand after not being able to come to terms on a contract extension. Marchand was reportedly seeking more than $7 million per year, with Paul Bissonnette on “Spittin’ Chiclets” putting the number at $7.5 million.
Milbury believes that was an “unrealistic” ask.
“That, to me, was unrealistic thinking if that's what it was, if that's what he was looking for,” Milbury said. “I mean, they got him on a good deal a long time ago, but the reality is that he's in the twilight of his career, and he's not going to get any better. He's been dinged up consistently. And historically, you can look at guys like Krejci and Bergeron who gave the team a hometown discount. I don't even call it a hometown discount; they took a contract that was realistic based on where they were age-wise and their contributions being less than they had been at one time. So, if he really loved Boston and wanted to stay, I'm sure they could have come around to a deal that's three or four million dollars a year, or whatever it might be. The salary cap’s going up, so they have more room to play with. But I think seven and a half million is a huge number, and not realistic.”