It cannot be denied that Brad Marchand’s full form was well-missed by the Boston Bruins in their run. The captain had surgery for a torn tendon on his elbow and a sports hernia in his groin and abdominal area. So far, the team now expects him to come back into action with the hopes of being ready for the coming season.

The Bruins are hopeful of a playoff run in the coming season, and it cannot be denied that they are expecting to see more of Marchand into action as the team’s captain this season. There were many talks of how his surgeries may also throw him off in the game completely, but with Marchand coming back for the training camp earlier than expected, which should give him a chance to build in his game as well.

A Captain’s Return

While Marchand played well in the previous season for the Bruins, it cannot be denied that he had to adjust to his new role as the captain of the team. He took over in the regular season after Patrice Bergeron went on to retire from the game. Marchand was named captain later on and finished with 67 points coming off 29 goals and 38 assists in a total of 82 games. He even went on to tally a total of 10 points off three goals and seven assists in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“The summer that I had is not typical for what I’m used to, and it might take to the season. It might take a little bit into the season, but I’ll treat the next two months like a summer and train and skate the way that I normally would in the summer, kind of from now on,” Said Marchand. “The biggest thing is probably getting conditioning back up to speed. I think that’s kind of the biggest thing. My strength’s kind of there already. Power and conditioning, I think is where I need to focus to get back to where I need to be.”

There’s a lot of work ahead for Marchand and the Bruins after the team fell to then-champions Florida Panthers in the second round. With the training camp set to open this September 18 for the Bruins, there is no doubt that Marchand is focused on the task at hand.

A Captain’s Future

There are also concerns as to when will Marchand move on from the game. At the age of 36, it does seem that he is close to moving on from the game for good considering that he is already at the twilight of his career in the NHL. However, it is also worth noting that the Bruins captain is slated to enter the final season of his eight-year, $49 million contract with the team.

“I’m going to say this now and kind of leave it at that, but I won’t ever talk about contract stuff in the media,” Marchand said. “I saw a report come out the other day -- I think it was the Hockey News, I don’t know where he’s getting his information -- but it wasn’t from our side. We’re not going to talk about it.

There are a lot of pressing concerns for the Bruins in the offseason so far, but it is hard to argue that Marchand’s status en route to the season was more of a priority as well at this point. Marchand returning to the training camp after those surgeries will be a massive news for the team now more than ever.