Bruins Admit To A 'Regroup' Process As Roster Changes Loom On Horizon
The Bruins are operating as if Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci won't be returning as the talk turns to younger players needing to step up
NASHVILLE -- Unfortunately, the call is simply gaining volume that big changes are in store for the Boston Bruins.
There was no mistaking it after listening to Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney and President Cam Neely ahead of the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville at Bridgestone Arena one day after they traded Taylor Hall to the Chicago Blackhawks for a pair of up-and-coming defensemen. There’s also the growing assumption that both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci aren’t walking back through the door again for the Boston Bruins further altering the DNA of last year’s record-breaking group.
While nothing has been ruled out at this point, obviously, Boston Bruins President Cam Neely admitted this week while at the NHL Draft in Nashville that the B’s are running under the assumption that both No. 46 AND No. 37 won’t be returning.
“For us, we have to kind of plan like they aren't coming back until we hear otherwise," said Neely. "We would not be doing the organization a service if we planned that they are coming back and then they weren't. So, for us it's kind of two paths, going down two paths.
"Hopefully, we'll hear something soon, but we're certainly going to give those guys the time that they need. I think as a player, you may think that you're done, but then a month or two into the offseason you're like, 'Oh, what am I going to do next winter?' Let's be honest there's nothing better than playing hockey or playing a sport, so when it's over, it's over for good for the most part."
Both Sweeney and Neely mentioned that they had known privately that Bergeron was returning by this point in the process last season, so it’s a different ballgame this time around from a team-planning standpoint.
It wasn’t all that much of a surprise for the 37-year-old Krejci after a season where he was banged with injuries – including during the Stanley Cup playoffs – but it would be a stunning game-changer if Bergeron walks away prior to his 20th NHL season. Not so much because it wouldn’t be understandable as Bergeron slowly approaches 40 years old and is about to welcome his fourth child into the world with wife Stephanie this summer, but more because it’s going to radically change everything with the Black and Gold.