Bergeron And Krejci Sign One-Year Deals With The Bruins

Boston Bruins fans can breathe a sigh of relief: Patrice Bergeron is coming back for (at least) one more season. Additionally, the team also signed David Krejci to a one-year deal to return to the team after spending last season playing in his native Czech Republic.

Bergeron has spent all of his 18 NHL seasons with the Bs, and while he spent the summer as a free agent, it was well-known that he wasn't testing the open market. Instead, he was mulling over the choice of retiring or lacing up for another season in Boston.

Even better for the team, they got considerable deals for both players. Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney inked both players to one-year deals, Bergeron for $2.5 million and Krejci for $1 million.

Sweeney is one of the most heavily criticized general managers in the NHL, but getting both Bergeron and Krejci for a combined cap hit of just $3.5 million (not counting bonuses and incentives) is some of his finest handiwork.

Both Bergeron and Krejci are fan favorites in Boston, and for good reason. They were huge pieces of the Bruin's team that lifted the Stanley Cup in 2011 against the Vancouver Canucks (which many people probably remember for the riots that followed. Canucks fans didn't take that Game 7 loss very well).

Bergeron and Krejci will be assets to the Bruins in the tough Atlantic Division

Bergeron is not only the team's captain but he's also playing at high-level especially when you consider he's entering his 19th season. Last year, he posted 25 goals and 40 assists for 65 points in 73 games. That marked his highest point total since the 2018-19 season.

He's a record-setting five-time Selke Trophy winner, an award given to the league's best two-way forward. Given his dominance in that category over the years, it's not an outlandish idea that it'll be called the Bergeron Trophy in the not-too-distant future.

Meanwhile, Krejci left the Bruins ahead of the 2021-22 season to play for Olomouc HC in the Czech Extraliga. He got the chance to play in front of friends and family and posted 46 points in 51 games. He also appeared at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and scored 1 goal and 3 assists in 4 games played.

Boston Bruins David Pastrňák, Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci celebrate a goal. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)

While Krejci and Bergeron will not doubt help, the Bruins still have their work cut out for them going into this season. The Atlantic Division is loaded with perennial favorites like the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maples Leafs as well as the reigning President's Trophy-winning Florida Panthers who look poised for another solid year.

Additionally, the Bs will have to contend with teams like the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings who will likely see big improvements. The Bruins may not be making a run to the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Division, but they should have a solid shot at locking up a wild card spot.

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