Aug 9: Krejci’s contract will include a full no-trade clause, and the performances bonuses are based on the following thresholds, according to CapFriendly:
- 10 games played: $1.0MM bonus
- 20 games played: $500K bonus
- Playoff qualification: $500K bonus
Aug 8: It’s not just Patrice Bergeron who is returning today. The Boston Bruins have also officially announced a new contract for David Krejci, bringing him back from overseas for another go-round with the club. The veteran forward has signed a one-year, $1MM contract that includes an additional $2MM in potential performance bonuses.
Like Bergeron, Krejci comes with a contract that includes performance bonuses that can be pushed to the 2023-24 season if the Bruins end up not being able to fit them in under the cap this year. Unlike Bergeron though, Krejci isn’t coming off a Selke Trophy season, in fact, he’s not even coming off an NHL season.
The 36-year-old went back to Czechia last year, stating that he wanted his family to be able to see him play in their native land. In 51 games for Olomouc HC, he scored 20 goals and 46 points, while also attending the Olympics, scoring four points in four games. It was his performance at the World Championship, when he was reunited with Bruins teammate David Pastrnak, that really showed how effective Krejci could still be. In ten games at the event, he racked up 12 points, helping Czechia to a bronze medal.
He’ll now return to the only NHL team he ever played for. Krejci, a second-round pick in 2004, spent 15 years in Boston before going back to Europe, playing in 962 games with the Bruins. He registered 215 goals and 730 points during that time, while also being a dominant playoff performer. On two different occasions, he led the entire league in postseason scoring, with one of those times resulting in a Stanley Cup championship. His return will give the team another center option at a bargain-bin price.
Still, while Bergeron’s numbers have remained strong, Krejci had already been experiencing something of a downward trend in recent years. He scored just eight goals in 51 games during the 2020-21 season, and 13 in 61 the year before that. While he’s always been known more for his playmaking ability, there should be at least some concern about his scoring touch after more than a year away from the NHL.
The good thing for the Bruins is it barely matters, as Krejci comes in just barely over the NHL minimum, at least for his base salary. Most teams in the league would likely be willing to add a player of his stature for that amount, even if there is at least some risk that he can’t keep up anymore.
For Boston, getting the band back together this offseason was the obvious goal, though there is still some work to be done. Pavel Zacha remains unsigned after they acquired him from the New Jersey Devils, and Pastrnak needs an extension if he’s going to stay with the Bruins long-term.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Hah, I was just coming here to mention that. Puckpedia reports that it’s a one-year deal for $1 MM AAV, with $2 million worth of performance bonuses.
They still have Zacha to sign, and only $1.2 MM cap space left, but I suppose they’re going to rely on the 10% offseason overage there.
Aaaaand … that makes it Bergeron, Krejci, Zacha, Coyle and Nosek up front. Unless they do something like shift Nosek or Coyle to wing, someone’s got to go.
1.2m cap space left but for 23 players, so once Zacha is signed at minimum a 750k contract will come off the CAP. So about 2m in space is actually what is there for Zacha, now he will get more for sure, but Boston can also put up to 19m on the LTIR to start the yr, (63, 73, 48 injuries)
You actually thought Zacha would sign for the minimum
No, I expect bruin4ever meant that when Zacha was signed, that makes 24 NHL contracts, so as per the rules, one can come off the salary cap total, which would be a league-minimum deal. Studnicka’s, say.
Sweeney Is clueless!!!!!
… signing Bergeron and Krejci to dirt-cheap contracts is what you call clueless? Oooooooookay.
So Wilf your decision would have been to pass on signing 37 & 46 to contracts this summer? Because I don’t think you’d mean that Sweeney gave them too high of contracts!
So instead of just bitching – tell us all the moves you would have made this summer, and remember the other GM’s have a say in any trades!!!!
Wilf was just baiting all those cry babies on ere. True sigma male move
No. This is what wilf does. But wilf thinks everyone is clueless. So there you are.
Its a countdown to Chara!
Or Danny Dekeyser for < $1M, as he is more mobile.
Or instead of either — which really are bottom-of-the-barrel at this point — Boston might as well give the Ahcans, Berglunds and Zborils regular shifts, and see if they can become NHLers. Toss Lohrei into the fire and see if he has what it takes. They’re unlikely to be worse than what Z still brings to the table (which is damn all), and they won’t come cheaper.
Lohrei is in college for the year and bet he signs and does a year in Providence and then he’s ready when Forbort/Reilly/Gryz’s contracts end.
Oh sure. You don’t want to RUSH the Lohreis of the world, but on the other hand, they’re not bringing Bergeron and Krejci back because they’re imagining starting the rebuild this season.
I didn’t say I wouldn’t want to give Lohrei a chance, just saying this year because of college it isn’t happening and then the rest of Sweeney’s 3 million a year defenders have to come off the books. I have my own arm chair GM ideas and it would be to move a player like Reilly to Anaheim for a pick and then put a couple picks together for Vegas RFA Nicolas Hague, would be a good partner for Carlo. Move Smith to Minnesota for Duhaime, 4th line checking tough guy to add some grit and let Steen, Mcglaughlin and Lysell compete for third line RW, it would shed about 2 million off the books to.
I suppose my big armchair GM move would be to buy out Foligno (who just can’t play hockey any more) and keep Smith (who gave perfectly good 3rd line production last year). Then just plain stand pat there. Sure, Marchand, McAvoy and Grzelcyk are going on LTIR. But then they’ll come OFF it, and Boston has to have the cap space there for when they do.
Beyond that, the number of players who are worth having are fairly thin on the ground now. Rodrigues? Kessel? To do what, exactly?
I like Smith to but I figure you can get something for him, buying out Foligno makes sense but then you have to pay some next year to, just want that contract to end. Rodrigues is kind of interesting, they need some RW depth especially at the beginning of the year, have to assume Debrusk takes Marchands spot until he comes back from injury.
Sign Zdeno and then, just for fun, bring back Joe Thornton, too.
So your probably joking alright, but it sounds like you don’t like that 37 & 46 are coming back next yr?
Why? Give some reasons if your serious
You have made a series of odd assumptions there.
So what happens when Krejci and Bergeron retire next year? (Let’s just say they do) Who’s going to replace them on the roster? Krejci does not make them a cup contender. Maybe I will be wrong.
While you have to love what both Bergeron & Krecji have done for Boston, they are too old to be first and second line players. Boston continues to sign older players while the best NHL teams are young and fast. Boston needs a complete rebuild around McAvoy, Pasta and their new defenseman.
They do need to rebuild, but Bergeron’s still performing at an elite level. He scored nearly a point a game last year while having one of the best defensive seasons ever recorded, and winning nearly a *hundred* faceoffs more than the second place center. Guys his age often do fall off the cliff, but until that happens, Bergeron is still a superstar center.
Rick Middleton has been skating on his own, maybe a one year, incentive laden deal? A PTO?
Rick Middleton and Bobby Orr also expected in camp.
Bergy and Krejci deals are by far the best cap value contracts in the NHL. The amount that they’ve sacrificed for this Bruins team throughout their careers is astounding and I can only hope the boys leave it all on the ice this year come playoff time.
Not trying to start an argument but what have they sacrificed before this year? Krejci was making over 7 million a year and Bergy was high 6’s. I’m not saying I don’t like there new contracts.
So I guess we know why they got rid of Cassidy…
Why?