The Boston Bruins are set to get a massive boost on Thursday when superstar forward Brad Marchand makes his season debut. Marchand had been sidelined for the entire year this far after undergoing surgery on both of his hips, but in a shocking announcement, head coach Jim Montgomery revealed the veteran would be returning to action on Thursday. Just Wednesday, Montgomery shot down the idea that Marchand could return for Thursday's game, but it seems he was just blowing smoke.

Via Conor Ryan, the Bruins head coach announced Marchand would be back and ready to go for Thursday's clash vs. the Detroit Red Wings.

The Bruins started the year off strong in Marchand's absence, going 6-1 through their first seven games. Getting the 34-year-old back will only make this elite group even more dangerous, and he figures to pick up where he left off last year.

In 2021-22, Marchand featured in 70 games. He scored 32 goals and added 48 assists for a total of 80 points, in what was his fifth 80+ point season in the past six years. It was also the fifth time he bested the 30-goal threshold in his career. He's played 13 seasons in the NHL, all of them in Boston, registering 795 points in 874 games.

Marchand underwent offseason surgery on both of his hips after the Bruins were bounced from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Carolina Hurricanes. He was expected to be sidelined for a while to start the season, but his recovery is coming in well ahead of schedule, so much so that the Bruins felt comfortable deploying him for Thursday's clash with the Red Wings.

Bruins fans will surely be fired up to get Brad Marchand back in the fold, and he should help make the jobs of David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron a bit easier, especially when the perfection line is firing at full strength.