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Marc Savard “hurt” by Bruins’ efforts to trade him

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While things have calmed down on the Marc Savard trade market as far as we can tell, that doesn’t necessarily mean that all is well with Marc Savard. For the better part of the last two months, rumors have swirled around about the possibility of the Bruins dealing one of their top point producers over the last few seasons. Reasons for why the Bruins would deal him have either focused on the Bruins future salary cap crunch or with supposed issues about how Savard handled questions about his role in the too many men on the ice penalty he took in Game 7 against the Flyers in the second round of the playoffs.

Whether it’s a money crunch or a question of character is all wild speculation at this point, but unsurprisingly the rumors have left a bad taste in the mouth of the Bruins star as the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch found out.

“They hurt me a little bit just because I went to Boston and I helped to build that team back up,” Savard said in an interview Friday -- his first public comments since the rumours surfaced. “Since I’ve been there, I’ve really tried to work hard with the young guys and being a core player. I was really focused on staying there for the rest of my career. To hear all this stuff this summer bothered me inside more than anything else.” Savard expects to return to Boston. “Right now I’m a Bruin and that’s the way it is,” he said. "(But) it’s been tough.”

Being the focus of trade rumors is never easy, especially after you’ve just signed a contract extension with the team in December that includes a more stringent no-trade clause and a team-friendly salary cap hit (that may or may not be totally legal). While we’re figuring that Savard will stay with the Bruins, you can’t help but wonder where a player’s mental state is at when the team you committed to is/was actively shopping you just months after signing an extension. Next season, should Savard be playing it in Boston, will be a curious test of his mental mettle.