Brad Marchand returns to practice after undergoing three massive surgeries this off-season

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Tom Banks
September 8, 2024 (4:26 PM)

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Brad Marchand had a brutal off-season, undergoing three surgeries for injuries suffered in 2023/24, and now the captain has looked sluggish in a return to the ice.

The Boston Bruins managed to make it to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs a year ago, and given the injuries that they had, it was a valiant effort. Those injury issues were worse than originally known however, as it was revealed that captain Brad Marchand had to undergo three surgeries this off-season to deal with injuries that he sustained during the season.

Now, the veteran is back on the ice for the Bruins, taking part in the teams annual captains practice, and unsurprisingly, Mike Johnson of the NHL Network has revealed he looked very sluggish in his return to the ice.

"I don't want to read too much into the captain's practice footage, but he wasn't moving completely free out there just yet," observed Johnson.

"The further you get into your career, whether you're 29 or 36 or whatever it might be, it takes a little longer to heal, to recover, to get in shape and to find your best game," said Johnson. "That's just the reality of sports and the age curve that we all deal with."

At 36-years of age, it's no surprise that Marchand may take a little longer to recover from the surgeries that he may have 10 years ago, but with a month to go until the NHL season returns, it's safe to say that he will be on the ice for the teams season opener.

Despite the injuries, Marchand still had 29 goals and 67 points a season ago, so if these surgeries got him back to 100%, with the addition of Nikita Zadorov and Elias Lindholm, expect this team to be battling for the Stanley Cup once more.

Source: Hockey Feed
Brad Marchand looks less than 100% in return to the ice.