He’s won the Stanley Cup, established himself as a goal-scorer, punched a Sedin and gotten the money. At 23 years of age and entering his second full season, what's next for Brad Marchand?  

It’s an interesting question for the 5-foot-9 forward, as no player on the Bruins (maybe with the exception of some guy named Thomas) exceeded expectations last season more than Marchand. After he went from a 2006 third-round pick with little national notoriety to one of the most important contributors to the Stanley Cup champions in his rookie season, it’s only natural to wonder where his ceiling is, and whether it’s already been reached.

“Last year, I didn't anticipate him having statistically the season he did, but we thought he'd work his way up,” Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli told WEEI.com Tuesday. “We've projected him to be a second or third-line player. Right now, in our minds, he's a second-line player at the very least. This year, expectations are higher. He's probably going to face different pressures for that reason, but he's a determined kid, so it wouldn't surprise me if he meets or exceeds those expectations.”

The pressure is higher because the Bruins expect their opponents’ best efforts every night and Marchand will now be a focus for opposing teams.

“I know people have talked to me over the summer about the sophomore slump and stuff like that, but I'm not really too worried about it,” Marchand said Tuesday. “I feel I'm prepared. I trained hard this summer, and I have a lot of confidence. We have a great team around us and lots of support, so I'm not really worried about how guys play me. I'm more worried about my game and what I have to do to help the team win.”

Last season, Marchand famously promised coach Claude Julien and Chiarelli that he would score 20 goals, and to the surprise of absolutely everyone, he did it. He even added another for good measure to make it a 21-goal rookie season.

Marchand then developed a cult following in the postseason, getting under the skin of opponents’ skaters with his mouth and frustrating opposing goaltenders with his skill. By the time he hoisted the Cup on June 15 in Vancouver, Marchand was the second-leading goal-scorer among all postseason players (11 goals) and a thorn in the side of anyone not wearing black and gold. He cashed in as a restricted free agent with a two-year, $5 million deal. Not bad for a player who came in with a reputation as a high-energy guy who could kill penalties.

Marchand certainly had his fun in the offseason (see: the Internet), but he’s in not letting his new-found notoriety dictate the way he goes about his business. In other words, he doesn’t think the $2.5 million Marchand should be different from the $821,667 Marchand.

“That's what happens when guys sign new contracts, is people expect more of them,” Marchand said. “I'm not going to change my game. I'm going to do what I had to do to get here and what I had to do to stay here. I'm not going to change any area of my game just because I have a two-year contract. The only thing I can do is make sure I put my best effort on the ice and try to do my job.”

While he doesn’t want to be a different player, Marchand does feel he has more to offer in his second season. He finished 10th among Bruins with 149 shots on net, an area in which he’d like to improve. He also wants to be better in his own zone. Playing on a line with Rich Peverley (201 shots on goal) and Patrice Bergeron (one of the game’s best two-way players), Marchand will have solid players to follow in the areas he’d like to improve.

“Last year, I passed up a lot of opportunities to shoot and try to make cute plays and stuff,” he said. “That's one thing where I feel I can create more offense for myself and for my line if I [put] more pucks at the net. Hopefully that will help out.

“My defensive game, I watch guys like Bergy and [David Krejci]. They're two of our top guys, and they're so good defensively. A lot of our offense comes from their great defensive plays. If I can get better in that area, then I'll be happy.”

As he tries to contribute more offensively and play a sounder defensive game, Marchand is also aware that his abilities as a pest shouldn’t be put to waste. He quickly developed a reputation last season as a motormouth on the ice, and his contributions as an agitator earned him talks from referees or worse – Julien. Marchand won’t forget how important that role is, but he’ll have to manage it and make sure he doesn’t go overboard.

“That's something I had to do to get me here,” Marchand said of messing with opponents . “I felt last year at times that I was more focused on that role than doing all the other things that I had to do to be a player. That's the main thing. I have to know when to do it and when not to. This year, I think there will be more guys trying to suck me into penalties and doing that stuff, but with the role I'm in, I want to be able to help the team offensively and create momentum and energy with our team. I have to make sure that I don't get away from that stuff, too.”

Then there’s the question of straight numbers. Would similar statistics as last year be satisfactory, and would less than 20 goals be considered a disappointment? Being able to start the season on the second line this year will put him in a better position than he was in at the start of last season as a fourth-liner, but whether that translates into bigger statistics for the season remains to be seen.

We’ve seen 20-goal seasons from rookies in Boston before, most recently Blake Wheeler (2008-09). Wheeler had the size and the ability to kill penalties, but his style, perhaps unfairly so, made fans frustrated in the seasons that followed his rookie campaign. He hasn’t reached the 20-goal mark in his last two seasons, and he was shipped to Atlanta in the multi-player deal that landed Peverley. To compare Marchand and Wheeler would be to compare a big but not physical apple to an undersized and relentless orange, but Wheeler’s case (and so many others) shows players don’t always improve upon strong rookie seasons.

It also isn’t out of the ordinary for players to establish themselves as scorers and abandon other areas of their game. If you were to extrapolate Marchand’s playoff numbers over an 82-game season, he would easily be a 30-goal scorer, but Marchand’s focus is on bringing everything to the table – not just more of one thing.

“Every year coming in, you want to try to improve and get better in different aspects of your game,” he said. “All I want to do is try to be consistent and bring my energy every night. If I do that and I work hard, then good things are going to happen.”