The Boston Bruins are Gearing Up for One Last Run at the Cup
This is going to be a boom or bust season for the Boston Bruins.
On Monday, the B’s brought back two players that are well known across the NHL and especially in Boston. Center David Krejci and captain Patrice Bergeron both agreed to one-year contracts to help the Bruins hunt down their first Stanley Cup championship since 2011.
Bergeron, who has been a member of the Bruins since 2003, recorded 25 goals and 40 assists for 65 points in 73 games last season. He won his fifth Selke Trophy in 2022 and will make $2.5 million this season.
In his career, the 37-year-old has played in 1,216 games, registering 400 goals and 582 assists (982 points). In addition to his collection of Selke Trophies, he has earned the King Clancy Memorial Trophy (2013) and Mark Messier Leadership Award (2021).
The Bruins are ready for one last run at the Stanley Cup.
Like Bergeron, Krejci has spent his entire career in a Bruins sweater, though he did not play in the NHL a season ago. His last campaign with Boston was the 2020-2021 season, in which he scored eight goals to go with 36 assists for a total of 44 points in 51 games played.
Krejci’s best season came only two years earlier when he matched his career-high in points (73) by recording 20 goals and 53 assists. In his career, the 36-year-old has played in 962 games and has scored 730 points (215 goals and 515 assists). His contract is for $1 million.
For the Bruins, the plan is clear: Win the Stanley Cup in 2023. The core of this team is one of several in the Eastern Conference that is attempting to win again before its championship window closes, and signing Bergeron and Krejci gives Boston its best chance to do that.
The situation in Beantown is very narrowly focused on the short-term, as more than half of its forward group will require new contracts at the conclusion of the 2022-2023 season.
Goaltender Jeremy Swayman, who will be a restricted free agent, is also among the Bruins playing on expiring contracts this year.
While these signings were undoubtedly necessary for the B’s, I’m not convinced that they will be enough. The Atlantic Division has gotten a lot better this offseason, and the Bruins may be fighting an uphill battle to even reach the playoffs.
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Regardless of what ultimately happens, Bruins fans and the organization can look forward to one more year of a pair of Boston legends.