NHL Notebook: The 'Krejci-ssance' is in full swing, but what does future hold for Bruins & their star center?

A whole lot can change in the span of a single year.

It's a sentiment that I'm sure all of us can attest to these days — and it's a dose of reality that looms over the state of the Boston Bruins.

You know, the team that — while reaping the benefits of two extended Cup windows over the past decade — has still been bracing itself for the inevitable fork in the road that awaits every franchise when the time comes to either hit the reset button or ride off into the sunset with am aging (and eventually declining) core.

And while Don Sweeney opted to drive straight through said fork in the road last month by adding to this talented (albeit flawed) roster without relinquishing a haul of future assets, plenty has changed when it comes to charting the best course for this team in what is shaping up to a pivotal offseason.

A little over a year ago — back when most of us were still confined to our apartments and biding our time with "The Last Dance" — the writing appeared to be on the wall when it came to how Boston was going to tackle one of the top dominos set to fall in the summer of 2021: David Krejci's future and the potential vacancy at the second-line pivot spot.

Krejci, who once hinted that he wanted to end his pro career back in his native Czech Republic once his six-year, $43.5-million contract with Boston expired, pushed back on said rumors when speaking to the media via Zoom in April 2020 — opening the door for the lifetime Bruin to continue donning a black-and-gold sweater for years to come.

“My contract expires after next year, right? Whatever happens with this season, but then one more (year) after that. And then we’ll see,” Krejci said. “I mean, I’m not planning on retiring, that’s for sure. I want to play after that, how long or what’s going to happen? I don’t know. I guess we’ll see what happens after that next year — but definitely not planning on going into the next season as it being my last.”

Of course, while Krejci's return was far from being ruled out — one could see a similar scenario as the one that played out months later when Boston let Torey Krug walk in free agency, opting instead to fill a crucial spot in the lineup with other pieces currently on the roster or in the team's pipeline.

After all, the thinking going into this COVID-shortened season was that Charlie Coyle (coming off of a dominant 2019 playoff run and a strong 2019-20 campaign) was going to be ready to take the reins as a 2C in a post-Krejci era — a plan validated by the six-year, $31.5 million deal that Boston handed the Weymouth native in November 2019. And waiting in the wings was top prospect Jack Studnicka, who was poised to carve out a regular role up in the NHL ranks this season.

But again — what a difference a year can make.



A little over 53 weeks since Krejci re-stated his desire to not hang up his skates in 2021 — Boston's outlook at the center position has changed some.

Coyle, while stringing together some encouraging games as of late, has done little this year to inspire much confidence of a reality where Boston hands him the keys of the second line — especially with him currently shifted to the wing on a revamped third line with Nick Ritchie and Sean Kuraly. And Studnicka, while still a promising young player, needs to add some more muscle to his frame before he can endure an entire grueling NHL campaign — with the 22-year-old forward still regularly knocked off the puck during his limited stints up with the big club (1 goal, 3 points in 19 games).

Given both the dearth of suitable top-six free agents at the center position — and the lack of a suitable contingency plan on Boston's current roster — it seems like the best avenue for Boston to take moving forward is to re-up Krejci on a shorter-term contract.

Now, had we had this discussion prior to the April 12 trade deadline, I'm sure I'd catch a fair amount of flak for such a take.

This team is going nowhere - they should sell at the deadline.

Krejci is washed. 

They can't divert valuable cap space to guys like Krejci and Tuukka Rask moving forward.

Now, ahead of Sweeney's deadline moves, I could see the merit in some of these arguments.

Before guys like Taylor Hall, Mike Reilly and Curtis Lazar arrived on the scene (and with multiple lineup regulars out due to injury) it was fair to question just how many more kicks at the can this core was going to have — especially after this season. If Boston let Krejci walk, the cap savings would be likely be divided up and used to lock up guys in line for major paydays like Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo, while giving Boston more flexibility to spend big on a much stronger free-agent class in 2022.

But now, 11 games post-deadline — I don't think there are many fans bemoaning a future in which Krejci is still in place for another couple of years. ESPECIALLY if guys like Hall and Craig Smith are going to be along for the ride.

Because right now, a revitalized Krejci is playing some of the best hockey of his impressive, yet still criminally under-appreciated, career. With another three-assist performance on Saturday against the Sabres, Krejci is now up to 14 points (six goals, eight assists) over his last 11 games.**

(** Since the trade deadline)

Armed with a speedy sniper in Hall and a crafty, two-way winger in Smith that wins puck battles and finds pockets of Grade-A ice — Krejci has transformed what was once an underachieving second line dragged down by a lack of finishing firepower into an even-strength juggernaut, with the trio serving as 1B to the 1A of Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand.

The numbers speak for themselves — with Boston holding a commanding edge in shots on goal (81-47), scoring chances (75-41) and goals scored (11-1) during the 123:09 of 5v5 ice time that the Hall-Krejci-Smith line has logged.

“He’s re-energized in terms of attacking,” Bruce Cassidy said of Krejci. “That was an all-world play tonight, obviously, beating guys one-on-one. But he’s moving his feet and going north a little more. He’s got a guy on his left wing who can bomb down the wing, a guy on his right wing that can skate. I’d say the biggest thing is his pace. He’s playing with a little more pace. His wingers are maybe forcing him to do that. He’s making plays, obviously, and finishing plays while he’s doing it.”

For as promising as the Bruins' play has been over the last few weeks — setting the stage for what is now looking like another potential fruitful Cup chase this summer — it's not out of the realm of possibility that this team could still make plenty of noise in 2021 and 2022 if they run things back with most of the same crew in place.

Of course, if said 'Krejci-ssance' was to continue, Boston would have to not just find the middle ground with their veteran center when it comes to a shorter-term deal with a likely lower cap hit than his current $7.25 million AAV — but also do everything it can to lock up Hall to a new deal. Even with Krejci getting up there in age, a playmaking pivot that doesn't necessarily rely on speed to generate offense should age rather gracefully, and with Smith still signed for another two years, this trio could continue to do some damage if they remain intact for another couple of seasons.

Now, it's easier said than done when it comes to running it back regardless of whatever fate is handed to Boston this season. After all, Krejci isn't going to be settling for pennies on the dollar give his recent play, while Hall is likely on the prowl to cash in on what could be the final major contract of his career. Add in other free agents like Rask, Reilly and restricted free agents in Brandon Carlo and Ritchie — and Sweeney is going to be very busy later this summer.

Boston is aided by the fact that they should have roughly $32 million in cap space entering this offseason, so even if guys like Krejci/Rask/Hall all sign for, let's say $6 million each in AAV, the B's still have around $14 million at their disposal for other needs.

https://twitter.com/bruinscapspace/status/1384183119436140547

So it's not really a matter of financials at this point (unless some other team really opens their checkbook for a guy like Hall). Rather, it's just a matter of if Boston still views Krejci as the answer for this team in the coming years.

The answer sure seems clear to me.

“No, I’m not worried at all,” Krejci said of his pending free agency. “I don’t really care about that. I’m here right now and it’s all I care about.”

If Boston was smart (and wants to keep this Cup window open another year or two), it'll keep their star center here a bit longer.

NHL inks broadcast deal with Turner Sports

After a 16-year stretch in which NBC served as its primary broadcasting partner, the NHL is officially embracing two new broadcasting outlets starting with the 2021-22 season.

After inking a seven-year broadcasting contract with ESPN back in March, the NHL announced earlier this week that it has also signed off on a seven-year contract with Turner Sports that will see regular-season contests, playoff bouts and three of the next seven Stanley Cup Finals broadcasted on TBS and TNT.

As part of the deal, Turner Sports networks will televise all games in the Stanley Cup Final in 2023, 2025 and 2027, one conference final series each season, and half of the first two rounds of the playoffs, plus 72 regular-season games per season. Turner Sports will also be the new broadcasting host network of the NHL's Winter Classic event for the next seven years. Other subsidiaries of Turner Sports will also help expand the NHL — similar to how ESPN's deal includes additional coverage on Hulu.

Bleacher Report, which is owned by Turner, will have expansive digital rights to use NHL highlights as part of the agreement, while HBO Max will gain digital streaming and simulcast rights — albeit a bit later in the broadcasting partnership.

In addition to game broadcasts, WarnerMedia news and sports chairman Jeff Zucker noted Turner Sports is also looking to develop other hockey-related programming — including a studio show similar to TNT's award-winning "Inside The NBA", which features Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith. While finding the type of chemistry that Turner's NBA coverage thrives off of might be a tall task, Zucker did note that Turner plans on at least following the best practices that have made their NBA content so engaging over the years.

"I mean, obviously, I think that there's a style to Turner Sports," Zucker said. "And there's an approach. And we want to bring that same approach to the NHL here. You can't just copy Inside the NBA on Thursday nights. That comes together over time and relationships. We've successfully introduced a new studio show for the NBA on Tuesday nights that has a different feel than our Thursday night show. But we think it's been incredibly successful, and we're incredibly proud of that.

"We're going to bring that same approach to the NHL. We do want to have a similar style and a similar approach. I have no announcements. I have no hosts to to tell you about at this time. But I think it's the sensibility and the style that we approach our coverage with that we will also bring here and I think that's being innovative, fun and dynamic. And I think, again, that's widely recognized with our NBA coverage. And so that's what we want to do with the NHL."

Not only should the NHL seriously benefit from the perks of having its games broadcasted on two major network conglomerates in ESPN and Turner moving forward, but it's also in line to pocket a nice chunk of change off of these new partnerships. According to Sports Business Journal, Turner Sports will pay $225 million annually for the NHL's broadcasting rights — while ESPN is reportedly paying around $400 million per year. 

That combined $625 million annual payout stands as nice bump in capital when compared to the NHL's expiring deal with NBC — which paid about $200 million per year as part of the 10-year contract that the league inked with the network back in April 2011. Still, don't expect the NHL's salary cap to suddenly spike for it's flat upper limit of $81.5 million right away.

"We have a fairly large escrow to be made up, and until we do the cap is basically flat," Gary Bettman said. "The increase in value obviously is going to shorten the time frame that perhaps many had projected when we did the Return to Play for last season and extended the [NHL/NHLPA] Collective Bargaining Agreement.  We have six years of labor peace that we're in the midst of, and the point to which the cap will then kick into the old formula I think as a result of our partnerships moving forward will be sooner than it otherwise would have been."

More fans incoming at TD Garden

With the postseason right around the corner, the Bruins are set to get some reinforcements. Not just on the ice in the form of defenseman Brandon Carlo — but in the TD Garden seats, as the latest easing of COVID-19 restrictions will permit larger sports venues such as the Garden, Fenway Park and Gillette Stadium to increase capacity from 12 percent to 25 percent of their maximum occupancy starting on May 10.

The first easing of restrictions within the Commonwealth was enacted back on March 22, allowing fans to return to the Garden for the first time in over a year. The influx of new fans is coming at a perfect time for the Bruins — who stand to benefit from a few thousand more screaming voices within their own barn once the Stanley Cup Playoffs commence. With this new 25 percent limit, TD Garden should be able to hold around 4,800 fans. Gillette Stadium and Fenway Park should be approved to let in around 16,500 and 9,400 fans, respectively.

"It's awesome. I love that," Carlo said of larger capacity limit protocols in Massachusetts. "Obviously, not even from the hockey aspect, but just life in general. Getting back to more of that normalcy is huge. I feel like a lot of us have been itching for that. It's been hard throughout this year to be able to connect in different ways outside of the rink. So it's nice to see that that's getting back to normal. As for the hockey side of things, it's been a lot of fun to watch with fans in the rink.

"It definitely brings the energy up in those situations where it's a closer game and you need a little boost. I can tell you from my experience this year, and from the bubble last year, that when you have the fans to kind of bring up the energy when you need a big goal — it definitely helps. And vice-versa, when you're protecting a lead. So that energy is a lot of fun to play with. And it's been a while since we've played in the full rink. Sometimes I'll watch old games on NESN or whatever and see all the fans and it almost looks weird at this point. But I can't wait for that to be the normal every day again."