Bruins GM confirms early contract extension talks with Marchand

Don Sweeney is indeed in talks with Brad Marchand in regards to a contract extension.

A report surfaced Friday that the Boston Bruins general manager had been in touch with Marchand and his representatives, and Sweeney himself confirmed he's looking to re-sign Marchand before the winger becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer.

"I think I’ve been pretty up front in that I’d like to be aggressive in trying to identify - and we have identified - Marchy as a core guy," Sweeney said Friday, according to Eric Russo of BostonBruins.com.

"We want to continue down that path, but it takes two sides to make a deal I would envision that he’d like to be part of this organization for what could be, arguably, his whole career. But Brad has a say in this as well."

The 28-year-old led the Bruins with a career-high 37 goals this past season, and the winger is averaging 27.6 goals per every 82 regular-season games played since making the jump to the NHL in 2010. Marchand has also become a staple alongside Patrice Bergeron, forming one of the league's most effective lines without whoever's lucky enough to jump on the right side.

He also recently represented Canada at the World Championships and will suit up for his country at the World Cup in September.

Marchand is set to make $5 million in salary this season while carrying a $4.5-million cap hit, and is certain to command a healthy raise on his next contract.