Golden Knights Trade Talk: Does Brad Marchand Fit?

The Trade Deadline is less than a week away, and the Vegas Golden Knights aren’t exactly dominating the rumor mill. With Shea Theodore and William Karlsson on LTIR, the Golden Knights have plenty of salary cap space to accommodate a new acquisition. However, after mortgaging their future to win the Stanley Cup in 2023, they have very few tradable assets. 

Despite making a big splash in Free Agency, the Boston Bruins haven’t met expectations this season. The Bruins sit four points out of the playoffs just days until the Trade Deadline, but injuries to Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, and Trent Frederic leave them a far cry from contenders.

The Bruins’ struggle raises the question: will they move on from Brad Marchand? The Athletic’s Shayna Goldman thinks they’d be remiss if they didn’t at least consider it. Trading Marchand would be hard to stomach, but it would also greatlyspeed up their impending retool.

Marchand is almost 37, but he’s still a very effective player. His scoring has been on the decline since 2018-19, but he still brings a lot to a lineup. He’s responsible defensively and is always a threat to score, whether at even strength, shorthanded, or on the power play. Any contending team would be lucky to have him, but he’d best fit as the final piece on a team that’s favored to win the Stanley Cup.

In her article, Goldman lists the Golden Knights as a team that could, and should, be interested in acquiring Brad Marchand. In part, I agree with her.

Why it Would Work

The Golden Knights could undoubtedly use more offense, and Marchand would provide that in spades without cheating defensively. His scoring has declined, but he’s still a 20-goalscorer. He’d help their penalty kill, which is ranked 21st in the league at 76.9%. Marchand is a fierce competitor who plays with energy and grit, and his tenacious forechecking would fit right in.

Why It Wouldn’t Work

Marchand would be another winger to mix into forward combinations, but he would further complicate an already tricky lineup situation. The Golden Knights have a surplus of middle-six forwards with Brandon Saad, Ivan Barbashev, and Victor Olofsson. When William Karlsson is healthy, he could bump Brett Howden from 3C to wing on the 4th line– but should he? After how the Barbashev-Howden-Kolesar line played on Thursday, there is no guarantee. 

If the Golden Knights are going to make a big move– historically, they aren’t afraid to– it probably shouldn’t be for a winger. Scoring is an issue, but it’s far from the biggest one; there are some real deficiencies on the blue line. 

Losing Shea Theodore was a real blow to the back end. His absence is felt more and more with every passing day. The Golden Knights have given up at least five goals in their past two games and at least three goals in their last five games. This is a concerning trend– some teams are built to outscore their problems; the Golden Knights are not one of them.

What Marchand Would Cost

In layman’s terms, a lot.

Because Marchand hasn’t requested a trade, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney holds all the cards. Marchand is the Bruins captain and has been with the organization since they drafted him in 2006. There’s some real emotional baggage there. If a team wants him, they’ll have to knock Sweeney’s socks off with an offer. 

If Marchand is traded, I imagine a return similar to what the Philadelphia Flyers got when they traded Claude Giroux to the Florida Panthers in 2022. In exchange for the Flyers’ longtime captain, the Panthers sent a first-round pick, a third-round pick, and then-23-year-old Owen Tippett to Philadelphia. At the time, Giroux was two years younger than Marchand is now.

The Golden Knights can’t exactly afford that. They don’t have a roster player comparable to Owen Tippett. If Marchand’s return mirrors Giroux’s, he could cost the 2027 first-round pick, a 2025 third-round pick, and Trevor Connelly, the Golden Knights’ first-round pick in the 2024 draft.

Marchand was injured on Saturday after an awkward collision with Penguins defenseman PO Joseph. He was slow to get up, and the Bruins ruled Marchand unlikely to return to the game. This is, of course, a bad thing. But it might lower his trade value. It’s also worth mentioning that if the Golden Knights could stash Marchand and his $6.125 million contract on LTIR, they could fit another acquisition under the salary cap.

Final Thoughts

Marchand would certainly be a significant addition to this Golden Knights team. But if the Bruins decide to move him, I can’t imagine it’ll be for anything less than a haul. Kelly McCrimmon will do his due diligence, but with limited assets, he’s not going to overpay for a piece that isn’t the team’s biggest need.