The Boston Bruins are bringing back a pair of familiar faces for the 2022-23 season. The club announced Monday that they’d reached deals with veteran forwards Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci.
Bruins GM Don Sweeney announced Monday that the club had come to terms with captain Patrice Bergeron on a 1yr/$2.5M contract with an additional $2.5M in incentives.
The versatile two way forward is fresh off his NHL record 5th Selke Trophy win in 2021-22, while also tallying 25 goals and 40 assists during the regular season. Originally selected by Boston in the 2nd round (45th overall) of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Bergeron has spent his entire professional career with the Bruins.
A veteran of 1216 NHL games, the L’Ancienne Lorette, QC native has accumulated 982pts (400G, 582A) with the franchise, good for 4th all time in team history.
After being eliminated in 7 games in last year’s playoffs by the Carolina Hurricanes, Bergeron needed time to consider his hockey future. Uncertain whether he would return for another year or call it a career, much of the offseason discussion surrounding the Bruins was focused on whether their captain would be hanging up his skates.
Not only will one of the best defensive forwards in team history be returning, but he’ll also be joined by former Bruin David Krejci as well.
Much like Bergeron, Krejci has spent his entire NHL career with the Boston Bruins. The 36 year old Czech forward spent last season with Olomouc HC in the Czech league after failing to sign a contract with Boston.
During his time overseas, Krejci scored 46pts (20G, 26A) in 51 games for the Roosters. Entering his 16th NHL campaign, the Czech centreman agreed to a 1yr/$1M contract with the Bruins, with an additional $2M in performance based incentives.
Krejci was selected in the 2nd round (63rd overall) by the Bruins in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, and registered 44pts (8G, 36A) in 51 games in his most recent NHL stint back in 2020-21. The 6’ 188lbs forward led Boston in scoring during their 2011 Stanley Cup victory, and adds even more experience to an already veteran heavy team.
With Jim Montgomery taking over coaching duties from the now departed Bruce Cassidy, having respected veterans like Bergeron and Krejci back in the fold will help ease the transition between bench bosses.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Lisa Gansky. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.