More contract drama could be brewing between the Boston Bruins and one of their star players. It wasn’t that long ago that Jeremy Swayman he was missing training camp and the preseason pending a new deal. Now captain Brad Marchand is denying reports of his contract talks.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman Titles said on Saturday that the Bruins and Marchand were nearing a three-year contract extension.

Following the Bruins’ overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, Marchand was asked to comment on the negotiations and Friedman’s report.

“He likes to talk about me this week, doesn’t he?” Marchand joked at first. “I mentioned it earlier, I’m not good at talking about contract stuff in the media… The report from Elliotte is fake.”

Before the season started, Marchand noted that he would never discuss openly his own contract negotiations with the media and let everything stay between him, his agency and the Bruins front office.

“If I wanted to sign a three-year extension, he would have signed it,” Marchand said. “Elliotte is just wrong.”

Friedman has yet to make a statement himself regarding his report on the contract negotiations.

The Bruins may be close to signing their captain to an extension, but Marchand’s privacy prevents him from adding details on the situation.

Marchand scored his first goal of the season against the Maple Leafs, an overtime winner, finally getting into a rhythm after a slow start. Multiple offseason surgeries put a handicap on Marchand’s training camp and preseason and likely slowed the start of the regular season.

Through nine games, the Bruins own a 4-4-1 record and Marchand has just one goal and five assists for a total of six points.

Marchand was named captain of the Bruins ahead of the 2023-24 season following the retirement of Patrice Bergeron.

The 2024-25 season is Marchand’s 16th NHL season. He has only played with the Bruins since his debut in 2009-10 and has amassed 935 points (402G-533A) in 1,038 career games.

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