The Boston Bruins have done a good job of keeping fans on the edge of their seats this off-season. They let rumors of signing former Bruin David Krejci and Captain Patrice Bergeron go unchallenged and even stoked the flames of the fire.
The Bruins announced earlier this week that they had indeed signed the two Bruins legends to a one-year contract for one last go-around for the best trophy in sports. But Bergeron and Krejci only answer one question mark on a roster full of them. New Coach Jim Montgomery will definitely be leaning on the two veteran centermen to help get the team up to speed for the new style of play that he wants the Bruins to play.
Has ownership changed its tune when it comes to spending? Probably not but as it stands right now the Bruins are over the cap. This means that any player without trade protection in their contract could be on the way out of Boston to clear space to become cap compliant.
What does this do in the long run for the Bruins? They are seemingly no closer to getting David Pastrnak extended and they have a number of contracts expiring at the end of this coming season. Adding Krejci and Pavel Zacha will add some new faces and more scoring to the roster which is a definite need. But what about everything else?
Most of the current questions are probably more so toward coaching and the front office. How is the power-play gonna work out? Who will play on what lines to start the year? What about when everyone comes back? Is there room to add another player? Is there a player in the farm system that is close to playing in the show? Is the team expecting Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci to be the same versions of themselves we are used to seeing?
We will just have to wait and see how the team stacks up to start the year. Bergeron and Krejci add a level of experience and high-level skill to the team but is that enough to do what the Bruins want to do? I am slightly more confident going into the season but I will wait until everyone is back to do a full evaluation.
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