David Krejci is retiring from the NHL, he announced in a statement Monday morning.
"After 15 full NHL seasons, I have decided to retire from the best league in the world," Krejci wrote. "When I was drafted in 2004, I had no idea that I would be working with such incredible and driven people who would lead us to 3 Stanley Cup Finals, and winning the ultimate goal in 2011."
A statement from David Krejci. pic.twitter.com/tVWAMsWAr8
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) August 14, 2023
It's the second major retirement from the Bruins this offseason after Patrice Bergeron called it a career less than a month ago.
No. 46 returned to the Bruins for the 2022-23 season after spending 2021-22 playing in his native Czech Republic. In 70 games this past season, he totaled 16 goals and 40 assists for 56 points, his highest output since the 2015-16 season. It would have put him on a pace for 19 goals, 47 assists and 65 points over a full 82 games.
An upper-body injury limited him to just four of Boston's seven first-round games against the Florida Panthers. The 37-year-old had a goal and two assists in a three-point performance in the Game 7 loss to the Cats, finishing with four points (1g, 3a) in the four games.
Originally drafted in the second round (63rd overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, he finishes his career with 231 goals, 555 assists and 786 points in 1,032 career regular season games. The cerebral center also ranks fifth on the Bruins' all-time lists for games played and assists, as well as ninth in points. In 160 playoff appearances, he had 128 points (43g, 85a). He is tied with Bergeron and Brad Marchand for the second-most playoff points in franchise history, while ranking solo second for playoff assists, sixth in playoff goals and third in playoff games played.
Krejci led the 2011 playoffs in scoring with 12 goals and 23 points in 25 games, adding four game-winning goals en route to Boston's sixth Stanley Cup. In the B's 2013 trip the finals, he again led the playoffs in scoring with 26 points (9g, 17a) in 22 contests.
On the international stage, Krejci has four bronze medals with the Czechs – the 2012 and 2022 World Championships, the 2005 World Juniors and the 2004 World U18 Championships. In three Olympic appearances (2010, 2014 and 2022) he combined for 10 points (4g, 6a) in 14 games.
He added, "And to Bruins fans and the city of Boston - THANK YOU. You have always treated me with nothing but respect and I will be forever grateful. I will miss playing in front of you, but I am and always will be a Bruin."
BSJ Analysis...
- The news is hardly surprising, given that it has felt like a matter of 'when,' not 'if' regarding Krejci's decision. The more surprising part is actually how long it took to get to the official announcement, considering the way he spoke at breakup day in May.
- It is just a little interesting that Krejci specified his retirement is from the NHL, and not professional hockey as a whole. It makes sense, especially after Krejci's comments to Czech reporters in June that the World Championships in Prague next spring are an attractive option to him to play in front of his home country again. He didn't rule out a midseason return to another league, which would likely be in the Czech Republic. Although it does contradict what he said at breakup day, claiming he'd either return to the Bruins or retire, but in the end, he's obviously free to make his own decisions and change his mind.
- That's all understandable from Krejci's perspective. Last season was hard for him, even as he got one last ride with this Bruins core. His wife and kids were in South Carolina at their offseason home, while he took one more crack at it in Boston, skating alongside countrymen David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha as frequent linemates.
- Either way, a new era is officially underway for the Bruins, as we expected. Now without Bergeron and Krejci as their top centers, it will be up to Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha to pick up the slack in the top-six, barring any sort of 11th-hour trade before the season. Trent Frederic and Morgan Geekie, among others, will have their hands raised for more responsibility in the depths of the lineup. More eyes will turn to center prospects like Matthew Poitras, Brett Harrison, Georgii Merkulov, John Beecher and Dans Locmelis as they work their way through the system in the coming years. With limited draft capital once again in 2024 (just a fourth, fifth and sixth round pick), the B's should at least have the opportunity to be aggressive in the free agent market to potentially address the middle of the ice, projecting to have as much as approximately $29 million in cap space if the salary cap jumps to $87.5 million as expected.
- On Krejci, what a player he was, a criminally underrated one at that for much of his career. Jeff Marek jokes that nobody will ever accuse Krejci of being fast, which is true. But in a game that continually got faster as his career went on, few were better at not only keeping up at the very least, but making the game slow down and come to him whenever he had the puck on his stick. His vision, passing and touch were truly elite.
- The "Playoff Krech" nickname was well-earned, and his connection with Milan Lucic, especially their line with Nathan Horton in 2011, was second to none. His dissection of Tampa's 1-3-1 and backdoor pass to Horton in Game 7 of the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals remains one of his best plays. Krejci's career points per game in the playoffs (.800) is higher than his rate in the regular season (.762).
- Don't know if it's a lock, but I'd expect No. 46 to at the very least be in the conversation to be retired, along with No. 33 and 37.