In this latest edition of Boston Bruins News & Rumors, a big update has been provided regarding longtime Bruins center David Krejci. In other news, Milan Lucic turned down two notable teams’ offers before officially rejoining the Bruins this simmer. Meanwhile, another Flames center not named Elias Lindholm is being discussed as a possible trade target for the Bruins. Lastly, who could the Bruins look to trade to free up a bit of cap space to improve their roster elsewhere? Let’s discuss all of this in today’s (Aug. 3) Bruins News & Rumors column.
Krejci Expected to Retire
Ever since Patrice Bergeron announced his retirement, fans have been waiting to see what Krejci’s decision regarding his playing future will be. Now we have been given some major news regarding that ongoing situation. Per Boston Hockey Now’s Jimmy Murphy, an NHL source told him that Krejci “may play for the national team, but otherwise, he’s done.” Murphy’s source also noted that Krejci will announce his decision “very soon,” but it will be “low key” because Krejci previously left the Bruins to return to Czechia for the 2021-22 campaign.
Throughout this summer, the ongoing discussion was that Krejci was either going to play for the Bruins or go back to Olomouc HC, but now we know that neither is coming to fruition. Instead, if Murphy’s source is correct, his regular-season playing career is over, and the only way we may see him play again is through international play.
Related: Bruins News & Rumors: Swayman, Marchand, Lindholm & More
The Bruins would have loved to have Krejci back for the 2023-24 season. He proved to be a solid top-six center throughout his NHL career, and that carried over to this past season. In 70 games for the Bruins, he had 16 goals to go along with 56 points. Losing that kind of production down the middle is going to be tough for Boston.
In 1,032 career games as a Bruin, Krejci posted 231 goals, 555 assists, and 786 points. The 37-year-old also won the NHL Plus-Minus Award twice (2009 & 2014), Seventh Player Award (2009), Bruins Three Stars Award (2010, 2014 & 2016), and Elizabeth C. Dufresne Trophy (2014). With that, he of course was a major contributor to the Bruins’ 2011 Stanley Cup win.
Lucic Turned Down Maple Leafs & Blackhawks
During a recent interview on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, Lucic said that the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks were two teams that he expressed interest in him this offseason.
Lucic noted that he chose not to play for the Maple Leafs because it would have been “tough” for him “to be a Leafer” due to the “Boston connection.” He also noted that he seriously considered playing for Chicago, as it would have given him the chance to play with Connor Bedard, a fellow Vancouver native. With that, he discussed that most of his family lives in Chicago, and playing for the Blackhawks would have given him the chance to play in front of them consistently.
Although two fellow Original Six clubs tried to sign Lucic, the Bruins ended up winning the sweepstakes, and “Looch” will be back in Beantown this October.
Bruins Could View Backlund as Backup Plan
With Bergeron retired and Krejci’s announcement looming, it is clear that the Bruins are in desperate need of a center. Cam Neely has also confirmed that he is looking to “bolster” the position because of it. This has naturally led to Lindholm being a prime possible trade target for Boston, but the Flames also have another potential option worth considering – Mikael Backlund.
The Hockey News’ Randy Sportak wrote that the Flames should at least have trade talks with the Bruins about Backlund if they do not about Lindholm. Backlund would be a sweet consolation prize for the Bruins if acquired, as he is still an effective two-way center at this juncture of his career. In 82 games this past season with the Flames, he posted 19 goals, 56 points, and a plus-24 rating. With numbers like these, he would easily slot in nicely in Boston’s top six and on their special team units if acquired.
Possible Trade Candidates
Following the re-signings of Jeremy Swayman and Trent Frederic, the Bruins are now entering the 2023-24 season with $429,166 of cap space while sporting a 22-man roster. Yet, when noting that they need to improve their center depth, they could look to move some players to help their cap situation.
Derek Forbort stands out as a player who the Bruins could look to deal for a very small return or future considerations. The Bruins have players like Jakub Zboril and Mason Lohrei who would be cheaper options for the bottom pairing. Although Forbort has been a serviceable bottom-pairing guy, his $3 million cap hit is far too expensive for a team with very little money to work with.
Speaking of Zboril, the Bruins could also consider moving the 2015 first-round pick. If Forbort stays, Zboril will continue to be the club’s seventh defenseman, and that is not ideal when noting that he is carrying a $1,137,500 cap hit. Thus, a team needing help on the left side of their defensive group could be intrigued to add him.
If the Bruins want to bring in a star center, they may also be forced to trade Jake DeBrusk and/or Matt Grzelcyk in that specific kind of deal. These are two players who are effective and carry fairly expensive cap hits. However, given their importance to the club, moving either of them would not be an easy decision for general manager (GM) Don Sweeney, even if it means adding a center like Lindholm or Mark Scheifele.