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Bruins quietly shopping veterans after slow start: Report

BOSTON - MAY 20: Newly named Bruins General Manager, Don Sweeney, center, speaks to press with Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs, left, and Bruins President Cam Neely, at the Boston Garden Wednesday afternoon. (Photo by Joanne Rathe/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Are the Boston Bruins looking to trade core members of their team?

After two games and two losses it appears Boston may have started to explore deals involving injured veterans Zdeno Chara and Brad Marchand, according to CSN New England’s Joe Haggerty.

According to separate hockey sources, there has been some level of recent trade discussion about veterans Zdeno Chara and Brad Marchand with other teams around the league, just to name a few B’s players. The talks haven’t been substantial but more exploratory in nature, as the team quietly gauges the market value of higher-priced veterans who may not fit in the long-term picture if the decision is made to tear down the current roster.

Haggerty points out that this is not something that will materialize quickly. But the Bruins are 0-2-0 and have lost their first two games by the combined score of 10-4.

Clearly, it’s not something that will happen tomorrow or even next week. But there’s a sneaking suspicion that Bruins management is formulating a backup plan in case the bottom completely drops out.

Over the summer, first-year general manager Don Sweeney traded defenseman Dougie Hamilton and forward Milan Lucic for packages that mostly included draft picks.

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Despite these deals, team president Cam Neely has said he feels this group can be a playoff team.

Said Neely before the season, again via CSN New England:

“We’ve tracked in the past and by Thanksgiving, if you’re in the playoff picture, generally by the end of the year you’re still going to be in the playoff picture," he said then. "This year we have a lot of younger players that I think will develop over the course of the year, and I think the coaching staff’s going to do a really good job in helping these players develop. I think we’ll see the team improve over the course of the season.

Last season the Bruins missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006-07 and fired general manager Peter Chiarelli.

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Neely also called it “unfair” to infer coach Claude Julien was considered on the “hot seat” to start the season.

Marchand (concussion) is out indefinitely and Chara (upper body injury) is questionable to return for Boston’s Monday night game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Defenseman Dennis Seidenberg (back injury) is still out.

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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