Throughout the 2024–5 season, Brad Marchand remained one of the best and most contentious players.

Throughout the 2024–5 season, Brad Marchand remained one of the best and most contentious players.

In Brad Marchand’s ninth season as a Bruin, we are all more than aware of these things by this point. And he has continued as normal since being promoted to first liner.

That is to say, he had a team-high 85 point season that he was only able to play in 68 games due to injury, or, well, we’ll get to the other issue.

Put another way, he was powerful. He was also a very welcome force. Few things instilled more fear in goalies throughout the NHL than Marchand’s ability to outmaneuver, outskill, outpace, and out-everything the defense on the way to a goal; only the finest in the league can match his nonchalant ability to do so.

After all, Marchand turned into the game-winning factor in almost every overtime victory the Bruins had this season. To the extent that, over time, it nearly became into the tactic. Not to be taken lightly, either, is his analytical mastery of the NHL as a member of the top line; he smashed any player or backcheck in front of him with ease and pushed play like an insane man.

This turned into this year’s story about Brad Marchand. Not his ability to split opponents in two, not his backhander that seems to be more lethal than some players’ wrist shots, not his licking.