Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand has been fined $5,000 for a dangerous trip on Seattle Kraken winger Oliver Bjorkstrand.
The term “dangerous trip” in this instance refers to slew-footing, as Marchand did just that to Bjorkstrand during a post-whistle scrum. The incident occurred late in the third period, as the two forwards were engaging in one another, and Marchand placed his right leg behind both of Bjorkstrand’s legs as he pushed him, causing Bjorkstrand to fall easier.
Marchand did not receive a penalty for that specific incident during the play, but both him and Bjorkstrand received coincidental minors for cross-checking. Marchand finished the game with a goal and an assist in 17:48 of ice time, with the Bruins winning 6-5 off a late goal from Jake DeBrusk.
While Marchand’s season has gone a bit under the radar due to both his early injury and the success of the Bruins, he’s still been churning away at his usual pace this year. In 49 games, he’s put up 18 goals, 33 assists and 51 points in 2022-23.
Marchand was a third-round pick for the Bruins back in 2006 and has spent his entire career with them, winning a Stanley Cup in 2011 and returning to the Cup Final twice more in 2013 and 2019. He is in the sixth year of an eight-year contract with a $6.125 million cap hit, one that has become a steal as it was signed right before he became an elite winger in 2016.
While Marchand’s impact on the Bruins is obviously a big one, it probably wouldn’t have been that big of a deal had Marchand been suspended for a game or two as a result of this play. They currently sit quite comfortably in first place in the league with a 44-8-5 record, ahead of the second-place Carolina Hurricanes by nine points, and leading their division by 15 points.
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