NHL Notebook: Bringing back David Krejci is a short-term fix for a larger issue - and makes perfect sense for this Bruins team

Well, the Connor Bedard discourse was fun for a couple of days.

In the immediate aftermath of Bruce Cassidy’s firing and the uncertain status of Patrice Bergeron’s playing career, a potentially painful rebuild appeared to be a tangible option for the Bruins in 2023 and beyond — with Don Sweeney and the B’s set to finally face the dearth of top-flight talent within their pipeline and look to the future. 

“I don’t know if – I don’t think anyone really wants to watch losing hockey,” Cam Neely acknowledged in his last press conference back in May. “That’s not the plan, is to start losing. You look at teams across the league that have lost a lot of hockey games over the number of years, and they are in rebuilds. They get better draft picks and ultimately better players, but I think we’ve done a pretty good job the last 10, 11 years of trying to stay in that window to win. 

“But eventually, it does catch up to you.”

Tearing down a roster and tumbling down in the standings is never a result that both fans or a front office want to accept, of course. But eventually, the bill always comes due for teams allocating all of their resources toward a championship.

Sooner or later, relinquishing valuable draft capital (three first-round picks in the last five years) in an effort to put your squad over the top in the postseason leads to a depleted pool of prospects — and a shoddy foundation to build the bedrock for the next fruitful chapter in a team’s history. 

The Bruins, however, seem to have a different strategy cooked up for the 2022-23 season.

Rather than try to stave off the seemingly inevitable consequences of their “win-now” motives, the Bruins seem primed to take a page of out of Wile E. Coyote’s playbook.

No, Sweeney isn’t using LTIR cap space to snag a couple of shelves worth of goods from ACME. 

Rather, the Bruins are primed to run straight off a cliff — their eyes fixated on a horizon offering the promise of a fruitful Cup run in 2023. Because so long as they keep on running and avoid looking down at the dour situation beneath them, they won’t plummet toward a fate that they dug for themselves after years of mortgaging the future.

Frankly, what other path could the Bruins take this offseason, especially if Bergeron does return (as has been widely reported)?

No domino was going to hold more weight in regards to the Bruins’ plans this summer — not their pick for Cassidy’s successor or any potential front-office turnover — than Bergeron’s decision and whether or not he would once again serve as a safety net for Boston’s barren pipeline down the middle.

And with Bergeron expected back for a 19th season — and Boston appointing a bench boss in Jim Montgomery lauded for his ability to connect with both veterans and younger players alike — it looks as though Boston is committed to running things right back with most of this same roster in place. And not look down, of course.

Of course, such a path offers plenty of risk, especially given the perilous potential for things to implode — and for Boston to plummet into a chasm of mediocrity with little to show for in terms of a stockpile of draft capital or blue-chip prospects. 

Further complicating matters for the Bruins in 2022-23 is the fact that just the return of Bergeron and the potential benefits that come from a change behind the bench isn’t nearly enough to vault this roster into the tier of true Cup contenders.

The Bruins are already bracing themselves for some tough sledding in October and November with Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk on the shelf. But beyond that trio’s eventual return, the B’s desperately need to upgrade other areas of the roster in order to validate their mandate of trying to contend in 2022-23.

One obvious area of need is more talent at the center position – even if Bergeron is accounted for. 

Yes, Erik Haula was a revelation for Boston last year after getting bumped up to a top-six role between David Pastrnak and Taylor Hall (39 points over his final 52 games), but his struggles in Boston’s first-round exit against Carolina (three points, minus-four rating in seven games) served as a tough pill to swallow for a B’s team that was once again felled by a lack of secondary scoring.

If Boston really wants another avenue to improve this club, it’s going to need to add another impact pivot for the second line — one that’s able to keep up with two jet engines to his left/right in Pastrnak and Hall, while also capable of burying Grade-A chances himself.

Again, easier said than done — given that Boston is set to enter this offseason with just around $2.3 million in cap space (per CapFriendly). 

Of course, the Bruins would want to land a top-tier free agent like Nazem Kadri or even a strong consolation prize like Andrew Copp or Vincent Trocheck. But Boston needs to clear room JUST to sign Bergeron, let alone toss out another $7 million per year on someone like Kadri. 

And for as much as Boston would live to pry a disgruntled young center like Pierre-Luc Dubois out of Winnipeg, the B’s can’t keep relinquishing first-round picks this late in their “window”, nor should they part ways with top prospects like Fabian Lysell or Mason Lohrei.

At this point, the top option for the Bruins is becoming increasingly clear (and all too obvious).

The Bruins have to give David Krejci a ring. 

I can already tell that such a statement will elicit an eye roll from many of you. 

And frankly, I do get it. 

Yes, going back to the well for another 36-year-old forward who has spent the last season beating down on so-so competition in the Czech Extraliga sounds … tired? Inconsequential? A move steeped more in nostalgia than tangible production?

It’s certainly not just an offseason musing on my part, given that Sweeney more or less wedged the door ajar for the longtime Bruin to walk right in during his end-of-season presser back in May. 

“I certainly kept in touch with David and his camp throughout the year,” Sweeney said. “He had hard decisions to make in terms of the promise he had made to his family overall. Just ultimately decided to stay and see it through. I’m sure at some point in time if he decides he wants to return, then hopefully I get a call and we can have a conversation. … as to line up for a number of reasons. 

“Still looks like he values playing the game and being highly competitive and was highly productive. Seamlessly would probably fall back into knowing what our team is like and what we’re trying to accomplish, but again, it’s hypothetical for me at this point in time. I’ll cross that bridge when it’s presented.”

Is bringing back Krejci the ideal move? Likely not. But it sure is the most pragmatic, especially given the current constraints (and ambitions) of this hockey club. 

In terms of pure production, yes, Krejci is a bit long in the tooth for a top-six center. And even though he was awfully productive with HC Olomouc last season (46 points in 51 games), NHL competition is quite a few tiers above what Krejci feasted on in Czechia.

But as seen during international competition in the 2022 Olympics (four points in four games) and alongside NHLers like Pastrnak and Tomas Hertl in the 2022 World Championships (12 points in 10 games), Krejci still has a bit more gas left in the tank. 

And it’s not like his style of play (controlling pace and making plays with the puck on his stick) is going to erode at the same rate as a player whose bread and butter is centered on speed or physicality. 

Add in the fact that Krejci’s return would likely guarantee him regular minutes with the likes of both a gifted winger in Hall and a proven finisher in Pastrnak (a player that the veteran pivot has likely wanted on his line for quite some time) — and it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Krejci could once again rack up 60+ points with the B’s once again.

During his last season in Boston, Krejci dominated during his short time next to Hall — with Boston holding an absurd 14-1 (!) edge in goals scored during their 193:13 of 5v5 ice time together in 2020-21.  Swap out Craig Smith (their regular RW on that 2020-21 line) and replace him with Pastrnak? You’ve got a pretty lethal second line in place. 

But beyond the pretty high likelihood that a 36-year-old Krejci can still be a very effective 2C in the NHL ranks, perhaps the most important reason why the B’s hope Krejci returns is because of the value he presents.

Fair to say, Krejci likely isn’t going to represent a hefty cap hit on Boston’s payroll if he returns — with both Krejci and Bergeron likely willing to take deals at below market rate with plenty of fiscal incentives and bonuses in place (which could carry over in 2023-24, if need be.)

The Bruins will still need to clear cap room this summer. But instead of signing a player like Kadri to, say, a seven-year deal with a $7.5 million annual cap hit, you could have Bergeron and Krejci in place for something closer to $3-4 million per year — potentially lessening the need for Boston to move out 4-5 contracts just for the sake of accommodating a hefty UFA pickup.

And who knows, the Bruins could even have some cash left over if they get Bergeron and Krejci back for cheap and commit to cost-cutting moves like buying out Nick Foligno and/or trading Mike Reilly. Even if it’s only about $3-4 million in additional space, that could mean a whole lot if it allows you to sign a useful middle-six forward like a Mason Marchment, or perhaps a veteran blueliner on the right side like Josh Manson?

It could be a tangible scenario for Boston if they move the necessary contracts this summer — without having to potentially subtract key cogs like Jake DeBursk in the process (who’d almost certainly need to be moved if you want to sign someone like Kadri). 

Yes, Krejci is without a doubt a short-term move that doesn’t fix the looming issue regarding Boston’s lack of legitimate top-six for the future. 

You can certainly argue with the logic that comes with Boston opting to run off that cliff in pursuit of one more crack at hockey immortality. 

But who knows? Maybe, just maybe — the Bruins can make it to the other side. 

And an effective (and affordable) Krejci would likely play a big part in such a gravity-defying venture. 

Montgomery talks communication on Nasty Knuckles podcast

We’re going to have to wait quite a bit before we have our first official meeting with new B’s bench boss Jim Montgomery — with the Bruins announcing that his introductory presser at TD Garden will be held the week of July 11. 

Interesting. 

So as we wait for our opportunity to hold court with Montgomery and ask about his coaching principles and other facets of his new gig, I thought I’d include a few interesting quotes from Montgomery during an interview from earlier this year with the Nasty Knuckles podcast.

Some interesting stuff in here. 

On communicating with NHL players: 

"I do still think it's very important that you get to know your players as people — that you be able to laugh with them, that you'd be able to have honest and hard conversations. And then also for them to be able to feel comfortable sharing with you. And that's when I think you really gain trust is when a player comes to you and not always you going to them. And they want to talk and it might be hockey, but it might not be hockey, you know? And that's where, as a coach, you know that you've gained their trust. And that's the most important thing is that, as a coach, everyone talks about a player has to gain a coach's trust, but it's got to work the other way for it to be a special relationship.

"I think communication has always been a strength of mine. I think the thing you learn as you evolve as a coach is that it's more important to listen than it is to tell people how much you know. Listening to your players, especially about what makes them tick and what they value helps you to be able to develop them to their strengths and also address their weaknesses.

On getting his message across during his first season with Dallas:

My mode of communication that I brought — that's just the way I work is I try and get to know them. And I mean, you'd have to ask them. But I think at the beginning they had an experience, maybe a coach and I think they thought that I wanted to be friends and I'm not opposed to being friends with my players. That wasn't the goal, it was to get to know them and get to know what makes them tick. And I think over time, there was a respect that grew. I know on my part, there was a tremendous amount of respect, especially with my relationship with Jamie Benn and the Tyler Seguins and Klingbergs of the world that were our leaders. And I think it trickled down to being able to develop a relationship with everybody. To be able to make someone understand whether they played eight minutes or 18 minutes, the value that they brought to our team. And I think it took a while — took longer, I thought than I wanted it to. 

"I thought by Thanksgiving, I'd be able to be there. But it actually took to the All-Star break. And then I think our team took off. And we had a great run. If it wasn't for the St. Louis Blues being so good, maybe it would have been us going all the way to Stanley Cup Finals. But that's the thing you learn at the pro level is being able to be fair and firm with players, they respect that. And holding people accountable. Like, there are some times where a guy like Jamie Benn isn't playing well, and his 18 minutes get trimmed down to 15. There's a message sent there, that players understand that they need to be better every night. And in the end, I think every player wants to win. So if they're gonna have an off night, which everybody has off nights, and you give someone that's on the third line more opportunity to help you win that night, I think there's a lot of respect given towards the coaching staff on what you're trying to accomplish. The team is the most important thing.

On communicating with younger players and veterans:

“You treat everyone fairly. You can't treat everybody the same because their roles are different, right? But yeah, I think it's important that everyone feels valued, and they know what the coach wants from them, and that you're going to communicate to them. I remember learning a great lesson from Corey Perry one time because it was a game that we won and their line had played well. But just with the way the matchups went, his line got short-suited, probably about three minutes. And he just came to me the next day, wanting to know why. And I hadn't noticed, because we had won, that I had not played them as much. And it was a good lesson for me. 

Like, okay, well, you gotta watch those minutes and then guys that didn't get their minutes, go and communicate to them why it wasn't. It was just a matchup thing. It wasn't anything with their performance. It's just the other team wasn't playing the line that I had them matched up against. So I was rolling with my matchups because it was working for us. But things like that you learn and you grow as a person, and that's evolving as a coach. And just getting back to Jamie Benn, like that's a great captain because I remember I used him in some shutdown roles, some nights against certain opponents and he sacrificed the offense. That's a guy who will sacrifice as a leader to try and win."

———

I have to say, I thought that Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals’ rampage after winning the Cup in 2018 was going to be the gold standard in terms of Cup-winning celebrations. But man, the Avs are giving them a run for their money.

Lord Stanley may not be in one piece by the time next season rolls around. 

The NHL gonna have to put the Cup on LTIR at this point pic.twitter.com/mgCiU3QuIp

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) July 1, 2022