No decision made by the Bruins this offseason — be it the firing of Bruce Cassidy, the choice of a new bench boss, or even something as seismic as an overhaul of the front office — was going to determine the future of the Bruins quite as much as Patrice Bergeron’s decision to come back for a 19th season.
If Bergeron had opted to finally close the book on his Hall-of-Fame career, an already shorthanded and flawed Bruins roster would already be up their creek — with no top-six option at center to anchor Boston’s forward corps. And with a lackluster prospect pipeline in place and little in terms of available cap space, the B’s would have few options available when it comes to shoring up that gaping hole down the middle.
But with Bergeron reportedly back on board for at least one more season - the path forward is becoming increasingly clear for the Bruins.
No long-term rebuild. No extensive retooling.
Nope — for however long Bergeron takes to the ice in a black-and-gold sweater, the Bruins are going to be fixated on trying to run things back and squeezing every ounce of contention potential out of this aging core.
The sight of Bergeron back on the ice is great news for the Bruins — and for fans who have reaped the benefits of watching Bergeron’s two-way mastery for close to a decade. He might turn 37 before training camp opens in September, but Bergeron (health permitting) should still hold court as a legit top-line center for 2022-23.
Bergeron’s return does give the Bruins some time when it comes to facing that daunting future without a franchise pivot in place. But even with Bergeron back in the fold, Don Sweeney and the Bruins still have an awful lot of work to do this summer — especially if this franchise actually has its sights set on being a contender in 2022-23.
It’s a task easier said than done, especially when factoring in that dearth of cap space and the various holes sprinkled across the depth chart. Boston had spurts last season where it looked like a major player come the postseason, but all it takes is watching about 10 minutes of action in this Stanley Cup Final to see just how wide the gap is between a team like Boston and a true juggernaut like Colorado.
Bergeron helps, sure. But the return of a 37-year-old center isn’t nearly enough to put a roster like this over the top.
So if Bergeron does return for at least one more season, what are the next steps for the Bruins if they do actually want to go all-in this upcoming year?
1. Hire a new coach
Well, duh.
If Bergeron is back for 2022-23, the next domino that needs to fall is Boston scooping up a new bench boss to replace Bruce Cassidy. And even though Bergeron’s return would signal that the Bruins are not exactly looking at a rebuild in the near future, the B’s would be wise to add a younger coach that can both communicate and collaborate with established veterans in the room — and spur development in a pipeline of younger players that the Bruins desperately need to start contributing and supporting this veteran group.
Jay Leach continues to look like the frontrunner for the Bruins, but my personal pick is 40-year-old Spencer Carbery — who has built a strong reputation for developing younger players at every stop of his coaching career, and excelled when working with the proven talents on Toronto’s power play last season.
2. Clear cap space
Another no-brainer.
As of right now, the Bruins have a little over $2.3 million in available cap space, per CapFriendly. Even if Bergeron was to sign a bargain-bin, incentive-laden deal, I don’t think the Bruins captain is signing a deal for about $2 million in cap space. And let’s face it, even if Boston could somehow fit Bergeron’s new deal under their current tight fiscal conditions, this team still needs to add to this current roster as well.
As such, the Bruins desperately need to clear out some contracts in order to not only accommodate Bergeron’s new deal, but give Boston the flexibility to add to this group and put it over the top.
Buying out Nick Foligno’s contract still seems like a no-brainer, although that could be off the table if Bergeron (who recruited Foligno to Boston this past offseason) is back in the picture. Trading Jake DeBrusk has always been a viable option, but if Boston is looking to contend, moving a cost-controlled winger that can give you 20-25 goals a season might not be the best move.
There are other moves that can be made — especially moving contracts such as Mike Reilly’s, Craig Smith’s and Tomas Nosek's. But even that is a bit of a calculated risk, given that Boston is already going to be shorthanded entering this season with Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk all expected to miss the first few months of the season. It’s no easy task — but the Bruins desperately need to find some way to clear out some money this summer.
3. Find a 2C
Erik Haula did a great job during the regular season when it came to stepping into Boston’s vacant 2C spot — recording 39 points over his final 52 games with David Pastrnak and Taylor Hall flanking him.
But after a disappointing first-round loss in which Haula struggled to drive play in that crucial top-six role, it’s clear that the Bruins need to acquire another impact pivot behind Bergeron, with the subsequent domino effect of pushing other forwards (like Haula) further down the lineup helping Boston spur its secondary-scoring woes.
Of course, a logical fit, if Boston is indeed looking at running it back for another season or two, is to call David Krejci and see if he’d be willing to return on a similar, bonus-heavy deal as Bergeron.
It’s a short-term measure, yes. And there is still some uncertainty with Krejci after he spent a year in the Czech Extraliga. But Krejci’s skill set isn’t exactly one that erodes with age — and a full season with Hall and Pastrnak to his left and right should bring about strong returns.
Even if Krejci isn’t an option, the Bruins need to leave no stone unturned when it comes to finding a capable 2C this summer. If you clear up enough cap space, do you make a run at a player like Nazem Kadri? Try to trade for a disgruntled center like Pierre-Luc Dubois?
Every option needs to be on the table.
4. Sign David Pastrnak
Running it back with Bergeron and Co. might be a “win-now” move, but the Bruins still need to look ahead to the future. And if Boston wants to have some semblance of a young core in place when Bergeron does inevitably retire, they need to lock in David Pastrnak to a long-term deal.
While Pastrnak will be due for a sizable payday after inking a bargain six-year, $40 million contract back in 2017, the Bruins do have some flexibility in 2023 with a ton of contracts coming off the books — and it wouldn’t come as much of a surprise if Pastrnak is willing to take a deal below value ($8.5 million - $9 million AAV) to stick around in this market.
But the Bruins would be wise to lock him up soon — because Boston can’t afford to let Pastrnak go to market the following summer.
5. Add scoring / blue-line depth
Freeing up cap space will be essential if the Bruins want to both sign Bergeron and another 2C, but after Boston was once again doomed by a dearth of secondary-scoring contributions against Carolina, it’s clear that the Bruins need to bolster the rest of their lineup.
If Boston is already intent on moving out a few contracts, it wouldn’t come as much of a surprise if Sweeney and the B’s keep tabs on appealing UFAs like Mason Marchment, Nick Paul and other forwards who can add some size and scoring punch to the lineup.
With guys like Marchand, McAvoy and Grzelcyk on the shelf for the next little while, the Bruins going to need to find some other sources of production for a few months — be it outside help or relying on youngsters such as Jack Studnicka, Fabian Lysell, Oskar Steen and Jakub Zboril to help carry the load in the short term.
As I said before, no easy task.