Bruins' GM spoke to Marchand after Vancouver game, 'wasn’t happy with it'

Brad Marchand continues to deal with the ramifications of his taunting actions in a game against the Vancouver Canucks on Dec. 14, as Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli has told Joe Haggerty of CSNNE "I don’t throw any of it out [because it was Vancouver]. I talked to Brad, and that’s all I’ll say. I wasn’t happy with it. But he understands."

In the greater context, the Bruins are concerned with Marchand's lack of production this season. His five goals and nine assists through 34 games put him on pace for near career lows, which only exacerbates his recent antics.

Chiarelli, however, has been encouraged by Marchand's recent play.

He’s a young player still, and sometimes you have those seasons. He’s fought the puck a little bit, and he’s been at wits end a little bit. You can see he’s frustrated with the situation. I go back over his last six or seven games, and he’s getting his legs back and his hands back. It’s just about looking at it over an 82-game schedule, and figuring it out and being patient. Maybe he showed little signs of impatience in his game, but I think he’s coming around.

Despite the lack of goals, Marchand is still helping to create chances. At even strength, the 25-year old has an on-ice shot differential of 18.99 per 60 minutes, good for third on the team among all forwards.

However, with only one goal in the month of December, Marchand might want to take advantage of a pair of pre-Christmas games against the Buffalo Sabres in order to restore further confidence from the organization.