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The evidence is overwhelming at this point.
Be it the below-market deals inked by Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, the willingness to push $4.5 million in bonus overages onto the 2023-24 payroll, kicking the can down the road when it comes to a long-term contract for Pavel Zacha and the forthright declarations from the team’s veteran core — there are no surprises at this juncture when it comes to the Bruins’ intentions.
Don Sweeney and Co. are pushing all of the chips in for the 2022-23 season, placing their bets on one last fruitful run with a leadership group that has cultivated more than a decade of success within this market.
What other reason would there be for a 36-year-old veteran like Krejci, who praised his one year back home with his extended family in Czechia, to return stateside?
Why would Bergeron, who has accomplished just about everything he needs to warrant an eventual spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame, want to come back?
It sure wasn’t for the money, nor the need to pad their stats with milestones like his 1,000th career game in a black-and-gold sweater for Krejci or a 1,000th career point for Bergeron.
No, for them — and many others in this Bruins’ dressing room — the potential for one last kick at the can is too enticing of an offer to pass up, especially given the steady decay of time further eroding this Cup window.
“The older you get, you don't really care about the individual stats or goals and assists, stuff like that,” Krejci noted. “All you care about is the team's success and that's why I'm coming back. I've been with those guys for a long time, and now most of them are going to be on the team this year. So that's amazing. And that's why I'm coming back. And I want to play with those guys, and I want to make a push for those guys as well.”
Of course, like a high-stakes player fixated on their current bet on the table, Sweeney wasn’t wasting much time mapping out the hard truths that could await this club in 2023-24 — when the last drops of contention within this core might be finally squeezed out.
“I don't think there's any timeline about how long those guys want to play,” Sweeney said of Bergeron/Krejci. “I think they left it open-ended. They are very much living in the moment and recognizing they've seen several of their teammates previously move on, retire. So, I think they're honest about where they are, but they're awfully really good players. So, I think that's it and they're driven to succeed and excited about playing with the group that we currently have."
And frankly, why would Sweeney want to focus on what could be some painful growing pains in 2023-24?
Even if the Bruins managed to complete their offseason by signing David Pastrnak to a long-term deal at a very agreeable rate of, say, $9.5 million per year, Boston isn’t exactly equipped to retool next season by way of a spending spree. With both Krejci and Bergeron’s bonus overages likely on the books next year, the Bruins could have just around $12 million in cap space (when factoring in Pastrnak’s deal) … and just five total forwards signed.
That’s a sticky situation to be in, especially given the uncertainty (dare I say, unlikelihood) that both a 38-year-old Bergeron and 37-year-old Krejci are back next season. Add in a prospect pipeline that is still in the bottom tier of the league, and the Bruins don’t have the resources at their disposal to just engineer a quick retool if both Bergeron/Krejci are out of the picture next fall.
No, at this point, Sweeney and the Bruins are staying in the moment and looking ahead to a 2022-23 campaign that does offer some promise.
But for all of the optics and intrigue that come from Boston’s hopes of a “Last Dance’ season, the truth of the matter is that such a storybook ending won’t be etched in permanent ink — not without a few breaks falling Boston’s way.
Yes, with Bergeron back and a playmaker like Krejci likely granted some high-end weapons like Pastrnak and Taylor Hall, the 2022-23 Bruins should be marginally better than last year’s iteration, at least as it pertains to its top-six unit.
But the road back to the postseason (and a fruitful run this spring) is far from easy.
Not only is the Atlantic Division — still anchored by the usual suspects like the Panthers, Lightning and Maple Leafs — still a daunting path for any team to take, but both the Senators and Red Wings also took major steps forward this offseason. Perhaps not enough to outright supplant a team like Boston, but enough to make a trek up to Ottawa or Detroit no longer a guarantee of a few easy points in the standings.
And even with both Bergeron and Krejci driving play in their regular spots, the fact of the matter is that the Bruins are in line for some tough sledding out of the gate — given the fact that Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk are going to be on the shelf for at least a month or two to open the year.
No bargain-bin deals from proven talents like Bergeron and Krejci are going to account for the void created by those three — especially on a D corps that will need to depend on names like Jakub Zboril, Mike Reilly, Derek Forbort and others to log 18+ minutes a night in the early going.
And with Boston already over the NHL’s cap ceiling of $82.5 million, there is no wiggle room for Sweeney and the B’s to further bolster this roster — not without subtracting NHL talent in the process.
With Bergeron and Krejci back in the fold, the Bruins will certainly be in the mix when it comes to playoff clubs. But if they want to elevate themselves into that elite tier of Cup contenders and make the most of Bergeron and Krejci’s return — a lot will need to go right for this team, especially when it comes to the rest of the roster.
Granted, we’re not exactly declaring some outlandish conditions here.
The 2022-23 Bruins’ title odds don’t hinge on whether or not Jake DeBrusk scores 40+ goals, or Jeremy Swayman going from promising rookie to Vezina frontrunner in the span of a season.
But there is potential on this roster for plenty more contributors to pull on the rope a bit more.
- Back in a top-six role and now content in Boston, DeBrusk could give you 25+ goals this season.
- Swayman can, and should, build off of last season’s solid returns — especially with Linus Ullmark still serving as a steady partner in net.
- Perhaps Jim Montgomery’s new systems can draw more scoring punch out of names like Zacha and Charlie Coyle.
- Maybe lineup regulars who have stagnated as of late like Brandon Carlo can bounce back — and youngsters like Trent Frederic and Zboril can carve out set roles on the depth chart.
Yes, that is mapping out a multi-faceted parlay of good fortune that would even make Adam Sandler’s character in “Uncut Gems” recoil with caution.
But such is the hand that the Bruins have been dealt as they look to make good on one more run with this core in place.
"I'm really confident,” Bergeron said. “I believe in this team. I believe in management. And I think we've made those decisions this summer. Because obviously, I wanted to play, but also I wanted to play with the Boston Bruins — because I believe in this team, and I believe in the organization. That's never going to change. You're right — there's gonna be some adversity to start the year. But to me, that's probably a good thing.
“Obviously, you'd rather have Marshy and Charlie and Grizz from the get-go on the ice. But that being said, it's a better and bigger opportunity for other guys to work on their game, but also to show what they have, what they can bring and make them better players and make us a better team, ultimately. So when there's challenges, there are always some positives that can come out of it. And I think that's how I see it. And to me, I think adversity can make you an even stronger team down the stretch.”
Could the Bruins, after treading water in October and November, go on a second-half surge with a healthy roster in place? Absolutely.
Will every player — from Bergeron to Hampus Lindholm to Craig Smith to Nick Foligno to the very bottom of the depth chart — all play to or exceed their on-ice potential? Absolutely not.
But is it safe to assume that some will answer the call and supplement this veteran core with strong play and tangible production? I’d say that’s a safe bet.
Can all of the hopes surrounding this season come tumbling down by way of a slew of injuries or a sordid start to the year? No doubt.
But is there a sliver of hope that this Bruins team — spurred by the urgency presented by what could be the final seasons for both Bergeron and Krejci — could have a bit of fight left in it? I’d say so.
And that reason alone is why the Bruins are ready to let the chips fall where they may this season.
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Here are a few other takeaways from Sweeney’s presser on Wednesday morning:
- No traction quite yet in terms of Boston’s top remaining offseason objective: A long-term deal with David Pastrnak. “Ongoing would probably be the best way to describe it,” Sweeney said of contract talks. “We've been in regular communication. Obviously, David's still over in Europe and likelihood is he'll come back and we'll talk between now and then. When he gets back, we'll maybe have a better idea of a deal timeline. But I don't have one today and you guys know me well enough, I’m not going to comment publicly on ongoing negotiations, but we've been in regular contact with JP.”
- No major surprises or roadblocks when it comes to the recovery timelines for Marchand, McAvoy and Grzelcyk. As of now, it seems like Grzelcyk is still set to return around late October/early November — with Marchand and McAvoy about a month or so later. “Everybody's doing well in their timelines,” Sweeney said. “Again, we've always put a band on things to prepare for whether or not a guy is doing better than expected or not necessarily. And right now, as indicated, I think the guys are following the trajectory that was laid out and hopefully we don't have any surprises every now and then.”
- In regards to Boston’s cap situation, it does seem as though the Bruins are looking at utilizing LTIR with McAvoy, Marchand and Grzelcyk on the shelf — although the B’s will still need to clear around $2 million in cap space by the time all three are activated. “I hope we've done significant math to be able to put the pieces together,” Sweeney said of Boston’s cap situation and accounting for their current overage. “We have some challenges, as do several teams and how we do that through trade or be it through waivers that really all teams are going to have to face. We don't have an issue certainly through November. We don't have an issue because of LTI and the likelihood that will be an LTI with the injuries we have, the amount of injuries we have. But coming out of it is the math challenge.