AP Photo/Winslow Townson
The Bruins and captain Patrice Bergeron have agreed to a one-year, $2.5 million deal to keep him in Boston for his 19th season, the team announced Monday.
Bergeron can earn another $2.5 million through performance-based incentives.
Boston wasn’t done, as the team also announced it signed center David Krejci to a one-year, $1 million deal that features an additional $2 million in performance-based bonuses.
The Bergeron deal came as no surprise, as he has spent his entire career with the Bruins, helping the franchise win the Stanley Cup in 2011. However, there was some speculation about Bergeron’s future in Boston as he made it clear in September that he would wait until after the 2021-22 campaign to decide his fate.
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said at the time that he had talks about a contract extension with Bergeron and that however long he wanted to remain in Boston was up to him.
The Bruins selected Bergeron in the second round of the 2003 NHL draft, and he has gone on to become one of the greatest players in franchise history. The 37-year-old tallied 400 goals and 582 assists for 982 points in 1,216 games.
Bergeron is still one of the most consistent players on the team. During the 2021-22 season, he tallied 25 goals and 40 assists for 65 points in 73 games. It was his ninth straight season with at least 20 goals.
In addition to winning a Stanley Cup in 2011, Bergeron is a five-time Selke Award winner, with last season being his most recent honor. He also won the 2012-13 King Clancy Trophy and 2020-21 Mark Messier Leadership Award.
The Bruins named Bergeron their captain on Jan. 7, 2021, after the franchise let Zdeno Chara leave in free agency.
With Bergeron and Krejci locked up, the Bruins will have stability and familiar faces down the middle for 2022-23.
Krejci also helped the team win that Stanley Cup and has eight seasons with 50 or more points on his resume. The most recent came in 2018-19 when he posted 73 points on 20 goals and a career-high 53 assists as a key playmaker up front.
He appeared in 51 games in 2020-21 and finished with 44 points on eight goals and 36 assists.
The 36-year-old spent the 2021-22 campaign in the Czechia league for HC Olomouc and represented Czech Republic at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. He is now returning to the United States to play for the only NHL team he has ever known.
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