Donnelly: Krejci leaves underrated legacy as Bruins officially begin new era

It's easy to prepare ourselves in our heads for life without Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci before the Bruins officially drop the puck on the 2023-24 season, their centennial year.

But it's unlikely it'll truly sink in until Opening Night at TD Garden on Oct. 11 when Connor Bedard, Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno and the Chicago Blackhawks come to town. 

After Bergeron and Krejci-less introductions in front of the home crowd as well as a Bergeron or Krejci-less opening face-off, a new era for the B's will officially be underway, just in time to close the book on the first 100 years of Bruins hockey and begin anew for the next 100. 

Even if the former's decision was always a possibility leading up to his call on July 25, the latter's was all but certain until Monday's formal announcement. 

"After 15 full NHL seasons, I have decided to retire from the best league in the world," Krejci wrote in a statement via the team. "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. ... I have made so many great friendships throughout the organization. You have always been there for me whenever I needed something and I will always be here for you."

It will be a stark contrast for the organization, even if Boston got a taste of life without Krejci in the 2021-22 season, one that saw the Black and Gold rack up 107 points with a 51-26-5 record before bowing out in seven games to the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round. 

No. 37 and 46 had anchored the top-six for 15 seasons together with Bergeron serving as a fixture since his 2003 debut and Krejci since cracking the NHL full-time in 2007. With all said and done on their NHL careers, both rank in the franchise's top five for games played (Bergeron third; Krejci fifth) and assists (Bergeron fourth; Krejci fifth) as well as the top 10 in points (Bergeron third, Krejci ninth). They're tied for second among Boston's all-time playoff scorers, in the top five for playoff assists (Krejci second; Bergeron third) and playoff games played (Bergeron second; Krejci third) in addition to the top 10 in playoff goals (Bergeron third; Krejci sixth). 

Few Bruins were established as strongly as long as Bergeron and Krejci. For a little perspective, this scribe, who was wrapping up fifth grade when "Playoff Krech" and Bergeron hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2011, has no memory of a Bruins team without either player. 

With the two veterans retiring less than a month apart, Brad Marchand, the likely successor to the captaincy, is now the last remaining piece of a core that led Boston to three Stanley Cup Finals and one ring. Even if Milan Lucic is back on a one-year deal after an eight-year respite, it's the onset of unfamiliar territory for the Spoked-B.

Bergeron's No. 37 will make its way to the rafters in due time, along with Zdeno Chara's No. 33. Krejci's No. 46 has a strong case to make as well, considering in the above categories, he ranks higher or right around most other players to have their numbers retired by the B's. 

The Czech native leaves a legacy of a gifted, cerebral playmaker, one who sometimes operated as an underrated headliner for the Bruins. 

"I just wanted to play the best I could to represent myself, my family, the City of Boston and the Bruins organization, the best I could," Krejci said via Zoom Tuesday. "And I think for the most part, I've done that and everybody's gonna remember me the way they want to remember me, and that's fine with me. It's totally up to them."

Nathan Horton's clutch goals rightfully grabbed their fair share of attention in the 2011 Cup run, and Tim Thomas was more than deserving of the Conn Smythe Trophy after his acrobatics in the crease. But Krejci's playoff-leading 23 points (12g, 11a) in 25 games often fly under the radar in the conversations around that triumphant spring 12 seasons ago. 

His dish to Horton at the far post off the rush late in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Lightning, successfully solving Tampa's headache-creating 1-3-1, may just go down as his signature moment in Black and Gold. It's a play that perfectly encapsulates Krejci's on-ice impact, especially in the most pressure-packed spots. 

He was unlikely to ever blow right by someone on a rush – no one will ever accuse Krejci of being fast, as Jeff Marek frequently jokes – nor was he likely to pick a corner from long range. But what he was always good for was slowing the game down and scanning for a passing lane that only he could thread a needle through.  

Amid the sheer anarchy unfolding around him at nearly every turn over the course of any given night, one might have gotten the sensation that time stood still when the puck was glued to No. 46's squared toe-curve at the end of his Bauer, waiting with bated breath as to what type of sorcerous dish he might pull off next. 

For a player who often diverted much of the attention thrown his way when the cameras and microphones were on in the locker room, it was never an issue when the spotlight was firmly directed at "Playoff Krech" on the ice. Few were better when it mattered the most.

"I don't take for granted that I have the ring on my finger from 2011," Krejci said, classifying 2013, 2019 and 2023 as "missed opportunities."

He led the playoffs in scoring in that 2013 run to the finals with 26 points (9g, 17a) in 22 games, and he had 16 points in 24 games (fifth on the Bruins) in the 2019 March to Game 7 of the finals, doing so even as Karson Kuhlman and David Backes rotated in as his right wings, a common theme after the days of a Lucic-Krejci-Horton first line. 

“David was always a big-time performer as he typically played his best hockey when the games meant the most, therefore endearing himself to his teammates and Bruins fans," Don Sweeney said in a statement via the team's social media. 

Cam Neely wrote, "David was a special player and has been a big part of this team’s success. You just have to take a look at his success in the playoffs — leading the league in points twice — and his world-class playmaking ability."

As Bergeron and Marchand became the main attraction in the Bruins' top-six in the seasons after Lucic, Krejci, Horton and even Jarome Iginla for a season, there was Krejci, still plugging away and producing, even with a cast of failed experiments on his wings, whether it be Backes, Kuhlman, Matt Beleskey, Nick and Brett Ritchie, Ondrej Kase, Ryan Spooner and so on. 

After years of more questions than answers on his wings, the likes of David Pastrnak, Pavel Zacha and Hall, among others, finally brought some stability to the second-line flanks. But after briefly enjoying the fruits of their labor during his final run in Boston, one that saw him put up 56 points in 70 games before a three-point Game 7 curtain call, Krejci's formal departure flips the script and leaves Boston with more questions than answers down the middle. 

Zacha or Charlie Coyle, the in-house candidates to take on the duties of the top-six, will likely be the one ushering in this new era for the Bruins during the opening face-off to begin the 2023-24 season. Trent Frederic and Morgan Geekie eagerly await increased opportunities lower in the lineup. More focus will shift to top prospects Matthew Poitras, Georgii Merkulov and Brett Harrison in the coming years. 

While Boston very much still projects as a playoff team, gone are the high-flying Bruins of 2022-23. 

All-world goaltending, elite defense and solid depth on the wings will be the bedrock of a franchise that has enjoyed such continuity down the middle for so long. 

Either way, you never know what you have until it's gone, and although this day was inevitable, the Bruins are about to find out just how good they had it for the better part of two decades.