It came as no shock to everyone when Patrice Bergeron announced his retirement on July 24th. There was little to no shock when on August 14th, David Krejci announced his retirement from the NHL. Bergeron and Krejci retiring left major holes for the Boston Bruins to fill at the center position.
Both players have been staples in that position for a very long time for the Bruins organization. As members of the organization, they were vital to the Bruins winning a Stanley Cup in 2011. Not to mention their prominent roles in helping the Bruins in 2013 and 2019 reach the Stanley Cup Final. Both times fell short.
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The loss of Bergeron is huge for Boston. He was the best all-around center in the game. Not to mention a locker room leader. Krejci, fairly or unfairly, has been criticized at times for his play. How little people forget when he did in the run to the 2011 Stanley Cup Championship when he recorded 23 points leading all scorers
Krejci followed that up in 2013 by leading all scorers with 26 points. However, there was talk he did not do enough. The productivity continued last season when he returned to the NHL after spending a year in Czechia playing.
As the number two center, he helped David Pastrnak set career highs with 113 points (61 goals and 52 assists) while notching 56 points himself.
In less than a month the Bruins lost their number one and two centers. The players replacing a future hall of fame and a clutch playoff performer are unproven in those roles.
Pavel Zacha will take over as the number one center. Zacha is another player that benefitted from the presence of Krejci. The “Czech Mate” line of Pastrnak, Krejci, and Zacha were very productive. Zacha set career highs with 57 points (21 goals and 36 assists).
He signed a new four-year contract worth $19.5 million last season and will be put into a position to have more ice and play in critical situations. Remember the New Jersey Devils drafted Zacha sixth overall back in 2015 to be a center. However, Zacha’s best results have come on the wing.
Then there is Charlie Coyle. Coyle has been primarily been a third-line center for the Bruins. He will now be asked to play second-line minutes. With Morgan Geekie taking over as the third-line center.
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But the question remains, do the Boston Bruins look elsewhere to fill the voids at the center position left by Bergeron and Krejci?
The obvious answers are Calgary’s Elias Lindholm and Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele. Lindholm is more affordable than Schiefele and younger too. However, with the Bruins up against the cap and still in win-now mode, things get complicated for general manager Don Sweeney.
Having already lost Taylor Hall to Chicago, the Bruins would have to move another forward like Jake DeBrusk, who is a UFA this offseason or Trent Frederic to make the money work. Not ideal for any team given the offensive world the NHL is in especially in the regular season.
Right now it seems the Bruins are going with Zacha and Coyle to start the season with only $400,000 in available cap space. With that number going to $2 million at the trade deadline.
That is where the Bruins could potentially upgrade the center position. But there is a belief this team can still win with this roster given the uncertainty surrounding Zacha and Coyle in their new roles.
