The Bruins are not expected to trade captain Brad Marchand despite his pending free agency and the playoffs slipping away.

Marchand still believes in what the Bruins can accomplish: "We haven’t played our best yet. When we do, we can play with any team."

The Boston Bruins will need to be watched closely during this week. At the time of this writing, the Bruins do not hold a playoff spot, and the expectation is that they will make changes to their group because of it.

The trade deadline is less than a week away, and things aren’t looking so hot for the Bruins. They just recently broke a five-game losing streak that included their first three games after returning to play from the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

With the Bruins need for a retool, they at least have to explore the possibility of trading one of their top wingers at the deadline.

The Boston Bruins remain one of the most interesting X-factors leading up to Friday’s NHL trade deadline. Here’s a look at five questions facing general manager Don Sweeney.