Boston –The Boston Bruins are rounding up the gang, signing captain Patrice Bergeron and center David Krejci — both members of their 2011 Stanley Cup-winning team — to one-year contracts on Monday.
Almost three months after leaving the ice without any certainty that he would return, Bergeron signed a one-year contract with the Bruins. Hours later, the team announced that Krejci, who played last season in his native Czechia, will also be back for the 2022-23 season.
“Obviously we’re great friends and we’ve been around for a long time,” Bergeron said in a video conference call with reporters. “I’m super excited to start with him and also the rest of the guys.”
Bergeron got a $2.5 million contract with $2.5 million in incentives, and Krejci gets $1 million with the potential for $2 million more. Bergeron is fourth on the Original Six franchise’s all-time scoring list with 982 points, and Krejci is ninth with 730.
“Obviously I wanted to play. But I wanted to play with the Boston Bruins and that’s because I believe in this team,” Bergeron said. “A historic team is the only motivation you need to leave that jersey in a better place.”
The Bruins also announced a one-year contract with forward Pavel Zacha capped at $3.5 million. Zacha, 25, scored 15 goals and 21 assists for New Jersey last year; Boston acquired him in the offseason in a trade with forward Erik Haula.
Bergeron, 37, and Krejci, 36, led the Bruins to the NHL championship in 2011 and two more trips to the Stanley Cup Finals. Boston was eliminated in the first round of this year’s playoffs by the Carolina Hurricanes on May 14 and fired coach Bruce Cassidy three weeks later.
Jim Montgomery was hired to replace Cassidy, and the new coach said in his introductory press conference that Bergeron, a five-time Selke Trophy winner, was his first call. Team CEO Charlie Jacobs said Bergeron, who was unsigned and was considering retirement, needed to return.
“So fingers crossed,” he said in July.
It worked.
“The fire, the desire and the passion were too strong for me to go down this road right now,” Bergeron told reporters. “I’m not ready, I guess, for the next stage of my life. I still have some in the tank, something to give away.
Bergeron has 400 goals and 582 assists in 18 seasons – all with the Bruins, who selected him in the second round of the 2003 draft. Since then, he has established himself as the league’s dominant two-way forward and one of the game’s most respected players.
When he leaves, the Bruins are expected to retire his number 37, making him the 12th player so honored. He’s likely to be inducted into the first round of the Hockey Hall of Fame as soon as he’s eligible – now it won’t be until at least 2026.
Krejci has 215 goals and 515 assists in 15 years in the NHL — also all with Boston — and was the Bruins’ leading scorer in the 2011 Stanley Cup with 12 goals and 11 assists in 25 games. Playing for HC Olomouc in his native country last year, he led the team with 20 goals, 26 assists and 46 points in 51 games.
Bergeron is third in Bruins history with 1,216 games played and fourth in goals, assists and points. He is second all-time for the Bruins with 47 playoff goals and 123 points.
Bergeron’s 11 straight seasons as a Selke finalist — including this year — is the longest top-three streak for an NHL award, breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record of 10 in a row as an MVP finalist (Gretzky won the Hart Trophy nine times).
Bergeron played 2021-22 without a future contract for the first time in his career, scoring 25 goals with 40 assists and helping the Bruins reach the playoffs for the 14th time in 18 seasons. They were eliminated by the Hurricanes in seven games.
Bergeron was Boston’s last player off the ice in Carolina, leading his teammates across the handshake line and giving each of his teammates a hug. He said he hasn’t decided on his future.
“That’s why this one probably hurts more, the unknown for next year with him,” said forward Brad Marchand, the roster’s second-longest starting player, after the Game 7 loss “He did so much for this group and sacrificed so much. It would have been nice to have a good race for him.
Bergeron, Krejci and Marchand are the only players from the 2011 Stanley Cup squad remaining on the Bruins roster. Longtime captain Zdeno Chara left as a free agent in 2020 and goalkeeper Tuukka Rask dropped out of a comeback after hip surgery midway through this season.
The Bruins have David Pastrnak, 25, on offense, Charlie McAvoy, 24, on defense and Jeremy Swayman, 22, in net. Hampus Lindholm, 28, was acquired mid-season to bolster the defense, and Marchand is still one of the league’s most dangerous scorers at 33.
Losing Bergeron would have been the end of the most successful era in team history since the Big, Bad Bruins of Hall of Famers Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Gerry Cheevers and John Bucyk.
“He is the backbone of our team. He’s obviously the biggest part of our team,” Marchand said after the playoff elimination. “So, yes, we want him back. Whatever happens, he has earned the right to make the decision he wants and take the time he needs.
Coyotes sign Crouse
The Arizona Coyotes have signed forward Lawson Crouse to a five-year contract.
Terms of the agreement announced on Monday have not been released. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound forward signed hours before a scheduled arbitration hearing.
“He’s a great, strong and capable power forward and we hope he plays a big role in our future,” Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong said.
Crouse had career highs of 20 goals and 14 assists last season, his sixth with the Coyotes. The 24-year-old from Mt. Brydges, Ont., led Arizona with 181 hits last season and has become a respected team leader since being traded from Florida in 2017.
Crouse has 56 goals and 54 assists in 346 career NHL games with the Coyotes. He was selected with the 11th overall pick of the NHL Draft by the Panthers in 2015.
