Bruins’ Marchand Injured, Team Faces Leadership Challenge Ahead of Predators Matchup

BOSTON — The Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand is now on a week-to-week status due to an upper-body injury, interim head coach Joe Sacco announced Tuesday morning. Marchand sustained the injury during Saturday’s match against the Pittsburgh Penguins and was absent from Sunday’s defeat to the Minnesota Wild.

“A hard guy to replace,” Sacco said. “We’re going to miss him. But it creates opportunities for other guys now to step up, some of our younger players like Georgii Merkulov or Matt Poitras, giving them more of an opportunity.”

In Marchand’s absence, veteran players are expected to rise to the occasion and fill the leadership gap. Charlie Coyle, who is currently wearing an additional ‘A’ on his jersey due to the absence of Charlie McAvoy, expressed the collective responsibility on the team. “It’s not one guy that’s gonna come up and be Marchy, no one can do that,” Coyle said. “But we can all take another little step together, bring that leadership that we spread throughout.”

Coyle also acknowledged Marchand’s contributions on ice, stating, “He brings so many different elements to the game that we’re gonna miss. No one is gonna be him individually, but together we can all take a little piece of that and help out that way.”

The Bruins made another significant move on Tuesday, trading Trent Frederic and Max Jones to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick, a 2026 fourth-round pick, and defenseman Max Wanner. Frederic, who was drafted by the Bruins in 2016, played seven seasons with the team, scoring 55 goals and providing 54 assists across 337 games.

Defenseman Brandon Carlo noted the uncertainty that permeates the team as they approach the trade deadline. “You never like that feeling of uncertainty,” he said. “I don’t think anybody does. Nobody really likes change either. But for us and the approach that we’ve had, it’s just going day by day and contributing to this group and being the best part of it as I can be.”

Looking ahead to their matchup against the Nashville Predators, Carlo emphasized the need for a solid defensive effort, especially given the talent on the Predators roster. “They have a lot of high-end talent,” Carlo commented. “For us, we want to continue to focus on the defensive structure of our game and from there we’ll create more offense.”

The Predators enter the game against the Bruins with a record of 21-32-7, placing them in seventh place in the Central Division. Their recent form has been lackluster, dropping two straight games and struggling with both scoring and defense. Filip Forsberg leads the team with 22 goals and 54 points this season.

“We’re finding ourselves in a situation where the last few games have been tough, but we’ve still got to show up,” Coyle added. “We have enough talented guys and in the locker room to make sure we respond to this challenge ahead.”

With the puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. EST at TD Garden, all eyes will be on how the Bruins adapt to their injuries and roster changes against a struggling yet talented Predators team.