By: Michael Rudd | Follow me on Twitter @Bosmike808.
On May 27th Brad Marchand underwent a double hip arthroscopy and labral repair, with the expected recovery time from these surgical procedures around six months. That timetable puts Marchand out until December at the earliest. Well, the Bruins might be getting an early Christmas, earlier than expected. It was widely reported that Marchand was placed on LTIR or long-term injured reserve. Just check your fantasy app of choice, and you will probably see the update on his page. However, if you go on the CapFriendly Bruins’ transactions page, you will know that transfer isn’t listed.
A deeper look at the Bruins’ salary cap shows Charlie McAvoy has both transactions listed for IR and LTIR, while Marchand does not. If Marchand were moved to LTIR as reports suggested, we would see the corresponding roster move here. For those unfamiliar with LTIR, here is a breakdown of how it works.
What is LTIR?
LTIR, or Long-Term Injured Reserve, is a CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) provision that allows a team to replace an injured player and provide salary relief to a team closer to the cap ceiling. For LTIR to be applied, a player must miss at least ten games and 24 days of the season. Here is an example to show how it works.
First, let’s say the Bruins have a team salary of $80 million. The salary cap for this season is $82.5 million. If the Bruins place a player with a cap hit of five million on LTIR, the team can spend up to $85 million in salary. Now, if the Bruins make a few call-ups and the team salary goes up to $82.5 million, they can spend $87.5 million with LTIR. Once that injured player is cleared to play, they must be returned to the lineup, and the team must again be cap compliant. CapFriendly has a more in-depth definition on its LTIR page.
When Will Marchand Return?
Unfortunately, I don’t have an exact answer to that question. But we can make an educated guess using what we know about LTIR and looking at the Bruins’ schedule. Twenty-four days into the season is November 4th, the Bruins will play their 10th game on November 1st against Pittsburgh. If Marchand looks at a return closer to those dates than Thanksgiving, he might not even be eligible to go on LTIR.
This wouldn’t be the first time a timetable has been moved up this season. Matt Grzelcyk was initially out until mid-November and is now day-to-day and could return next week. Marchand was asked about his return and how he felt at media day, but he said he didn’t want to put a timetable on his return. An extra month of games from Marchand is enormous for a Bruins team that has struggled to score in his previous absences. Keep checking back for all the latest on Marchand and everything Bruins. Until next time stay safe out there, and let’s go, Bruins.
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