David Krejci confirmed a couple of things that everybody already really knew about him while talking about a six year contract extension that will keep him in Black and Gold through the 2021 season. He wanted to get the deal done prior to the season so contract talks wouldn’t be a distraction to him, and he took less than market value in free agency for more Cup runs in Boston.
There’s a good possibility that Krejci could have grabbed more than the six year term, and more than the $43.5 million in salary, had he played things out into unrestricted free agency after a good performance this season. Something up closer to the $8 million plus per season for Claude Giroux and Eric Staal wouldn’t have been out of the realm of puck possibility.
But Krejci agreed to lock himself into the Bruins until age 35, and forms the long term core in Boston along with Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara and Tuukka Rask, and Milan Lucic when his contract comes up again. As much as he enjoys the city of Boston and the history of the Bruins organization, it’s all about the strong feeling the Bruins will have another kick or two at the Stanley Cup can.
“We had lots of talks with my agent. Especially now when the cap is going higher every year, I had the chance to be a free agent for the first time. It depends on the year I would have had, but, yeah, maybe I could have got more [in free agency], maybe less,” said Krejci. “Money really wasn’t the issue. I wanted to play where I could win.
“To feel that Peter [Chiarelli] and the organization feel that I could help them win the Cup, that means a lot. I didn’t hesitate and I accepted the offer, and I’m glad that I can be [a] Bruin for the next seven years.”
Those words speak plenty to Krejci’s winning character, the taste for big games he’s developed during his career in Boston and is surely part of the reason he was named an assistant captain prior to last season.
The Bruins should get plenty of chances to win armed with an experienced, winning roster as one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. But it will come down to the B’s core group carrying their roster as the salary cap crunch eats into their lineup depth, and puts more emphasis on players like Krejci at the top of the pay scale. That means a bigger paycheck after agreeing to an extension with the Bruins, but it also means more pressure on Krejci and Co. to perform at times like last year’s playoffs when he was shut out in 12 postseason games.