Bruins ‘Animal’ Forward Has Ultimate Respect From Brad Marchand

Brad Marchand hosted the first of two captain's practices at Warrior Ice Arena on Tuesday before the Boston Bruins ramp up for training camp beginning on Sept. 18. Marchand disclosed he had multiple offseason surgeries, made a blunt statement regarding his contract extension and offered insight as to why he anticipates being paired with Charlie Coyle again this season.

"Yeah, I do expect to play with C's. I thought we came a long way last year and built some good chemistry. It's something we can continue to work on," Marchand told reporters, per team-provided video. "The longer you get to play with someone, obviously, the more success you're going to have and the more familiar you're going to get with one another. Really looking forward to continuing that, continue to grow together and build something special."

Coyle recorded career highs in goals (25) and points (60) skating with Marchand in the 2023-24 Bruins season. The 32-year-old Weymouth, Mass. native also saw an uptake in his playing time, averaging north of 18 minutes per game for the Bruins. Marchand said it was exciting to watch Coyle's game grow last season.

"It was awesome," Marchand said. "He was ready for it. I think he was kinda chomping on the bit the last few years. I'm sure it's been tough on him, kinda sitting back there waiting to get his opportunity. He thrived.

"He was prepared. He put the work in, and he competes so hard; he trains so hard every day. He's extremely committed to get better and improve. He was an absolute animal last year. I loved playing with him. ... I'm sure he's going to take another big step again this year, even being more familiar and comfortable in his role and positional. He has very high expectations for himself."

Marchand will host a second captain's practice on Thursday. Bruins forwards Trent Frederic, Pavel Zacha, Johnny Beecher, Matt Poitras, Justin Brazeau, Elias Lindholm, Max Jones, Mark Kastelic and Coyle joined Marchand on Tuesday. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy, Andrew Peeke, Mason Lohrei and goaltenders Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo were also in attendance.