Could Brad Marchand Fit On The Ottawa Senators?

The Boston Bruins are facing salary cap difficulty, and Joe Haggerty of Comcast Sportsnet wrote yesterday that the players that might be on the move to open up cap space might be Johnny Boychuk and/or Brad Marchand.

“Players such as Brad Marchand ($4.5 million cap hit) and/or Johnny Boychuk ($3.66 million cap hit) could be moved-Joe Haggerty

The intriguing name is Marchand. He is the guy you just hate to see his face on the ice while wearing the Bruins uniform, but he is just 26 years old and can provide top 6 level offense.

While dealing within a division is tough, especially when it comes to a player like Marchand, could the Ottawa Senators swing a deal for the super-pest? Marchand is coming off a decent season, but not as productive as he was in the lockout shortened season of 2013. However, Marchand is under contract for 3 more years with a cap hit of $4.5M. Financially, it would work but the bigger question is whether or not the Senators want to add a player of his weaseliness to the lineup.

Earlier in the Senators off-season, I advocated that the player the Senators should target is Steve Downie, a pending UFA from the Philadelphia Flyers. While they might be similar players, the difference is Downie has no problem dropping the gloves to stick up for himself. Marchand plays a style of game to aggravate opponents but didn’t have a single fighting major all season, so he is a hit and run type of guy.