Technically, Brad Marchand’s future was in the air all summer.
To everyone except him, that is.
The 23-year-old left wing, who agreed to terms on a two-year contract with the Bruins yesterday, said he always wanted to stay in Boston, and knew all along “it was just a matter of time” before something got done.
“I don’t think I was getting nervous,” Marchand said on a conference call with reporters yesterday. “I was just getting anxious. As camp approached, I wanted to be there.”
He will be, with a boatload of cash. Marchand is reportedly due to earn $2 million this year and $3 million next year.
He’d been skating at captains’ practices, even without a contract in place.
“I had a feeling it would get done,” Boston GM Peter Chiarelli said.
“It’s nice to finish this business before camp. If you fall behind in camp, it’s hard to catch up. I didn’t think it would get to that stage, and it didn’t.”