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Bruins already in talks on contract extension with key player

By Matt Hawkins

May 6, 2021; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron (37) points at right wing Brad Marchand (63) after Marchand assisted on his goal against the New York Rangers during the first period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
May 6, 2021; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron (37) points at right wing Brad Marchand (63) after Marchand assisted on his goal against the New York Rangers during the first period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Boston Bruins have had a busy offseason, so far. With the Seattle Kraken expansion draft, the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, and now free agency, the B’s have a team that looks almost completely different from what they had just months ago.

However, general manager Don Sweeney has managed to keep and add players that fans and himself would consider key to the success of the team. He locked up defenseman Brandon Carlo on a four-year deal, add defenseman Derek Forbort in free agency, replaced goaltender Tuukka Rask with Linus Ullmark, and completely overhauled the bottom-six forward group.

Sweeney is now looking a bit into the future as he confirmed in his media availability on Friday that the B’s and captain Patrice Bergeron are already talking a contract extension.

Bergeron is set to be a unrestricted free agent (UFA) after the 2021-22 season. With David Krejci set to play in his native Czech Republic for the foreseeable future, extending Bergeron for at least another year or two to allow prospects such as Johnny Beecher, Trent Frederic, and Jack Studnicka to develop into everyday NHL centers will be important for Boston’s future.

What could Patrice Bergeron’s next deal with the Bruins look like?

Bergeron’s expiring deal is an eight-year contract that holds an average annual value of $6.875 million. Although Bergeron isn’t the 28-year-old that he was when the deal was signed, he hasn’t slowed down at all. In fact, Bergeron had his best season just two years ago in 2018-19.

If Bergeron were to hit the open market, there’s no question he would get at least $7 million per year. However, considering Bergeron is the captain of this team and wants to finish his career in Boston, Bergy will most likely take a pay cut rather than a raise.

When Bergeron’s next contract goes into effect, he’ll be 37 years old. With that in mind, I don’t expect Bergy’s next contract to be more than three years long, which would bring him to 40 years old. Going back to the pay cut, I think Bergeron will get around $5 million per year.

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Overall, Bergeron is the current face of this franchise. He knows that the team has some big names that will need to be extended such as Charlie McAvoy, David Pastrnak, and even Jeremy Swayman. He’ll take a short-term deal at a team-friendly price to keep the team together.

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