Things may be going from bad to worse from the Boston Bruins.
The franchise is still dealing with the stunning first-round elimination at the hands of the Florida Panthers following a record-breaking regular season. And now, two longtime franchise pillars may be calling it quits despite the team’s historic success in 2022-23.
Per Dan Rosen of NHL.com, Bruins’ team president Cam Neely stated that the team is operating with the belief that star centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci will not play in 2023-24.
with the belief that star centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci will not play in 2023-24.
Bergeron contemplated retirement last year but returned on a one-year deal. The captain scored 27 goals and 58 points and won a sixth Selke Trophy (handed annually to the league’s best defensive forward), adding to his NHL record.
Krejci spent the 2021-22 season overseas in Czech Republic before returning to the Bruins on a one-year deal last summer. The 37-year-old picked up where he left off as a vital second-line center and tallied 16 goals and 56 points.
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With limited cap room, Boston already had to deal away two valuable bottom-six forwards in Nick Foligno and Taylor Hall to the Chicago Blackhawks in a money-saving move on Monday. Losing both Bergeron and Krejci would be a massive blow to a team that remains in win-now mode.
The Bruins certainly weren’t going to come close to matching their records of 65 wins or 135 points again, but if both Krejci and Bergeron retire? It’s not a stretch to suggest they won’t even make the playoffs in 2023-24.
