Krejci gets big extension, now he has to play big for Bruins
Krejci/By S. Bradley
BOSTON — David Krejci has never shied away from pressure.
If anything, as his postseason performance last season during the Bruins’ run to the Stanley Cup championship proved, he thrives when the stakes are highest.
So now that he’ll be making $5.25 million annually starting next season, he’s not too worried about meeting the expectations that come with being his team’s second-highest-paid player. Krejci signed a three-year extension with Boston Wednesday and the deal was announced by the club today.
“I’m not really worried about that. I’m going to go out there and do my best and help the team to win,” said Krejci during the press conference at the TD Garden. “I know what I can do, people know what I can do. So I’m just going to stay away from reading good or bad things and just focus on my game. I think that’s the only thing I can control.”
You can read my whole story about Krejci’s contract extension at NHL.com.
General manager Peter Chiarelli was asked about the preponderance of centers on his roster, which doesn’t seem like it’ll dissipate any time soon now that Krejci has joined Patrice Bergeron as pivots who are under contract long-term. As he has in the past, Chiarelli stressed his philosophy about building his team from the back end out and down the middle. When you have that type of philosophy, you have to retain quality centers — especially considering the dearth of talent on the free-agent market with most teams resigning their best players.
The Bruins might have overpaid a bit, but such is life when you win the Cup and a player like Krejci nearly wins the Conn Smythe with a near point-per-game performance. Krejci would’ve been a popular restricted free agent next summer depending on how teams react to the expiring Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The Bruins have done their part and now Krejci has to take care of his end. So far, he’s overcome every hurdle to establish himself as a No. 1 center in the NHL. There’s no reason to believe he won’t continue to flourish on the Bruins’ roster and in their system.
If you want to improve and maintain the PK they should resign Paille, he is one of the best Pk on the team and very affordable, he will easily get picked up in free agency, the B’s should re-sign him.
In response to Bruins16,
Boychuk should be resigned by the Bruins, they have plenty of cap space and he is now their number #1 UFA, Kelly, Campbell, Paille, Thornton, Corvo are the others. The RFA’s are Pouliot and Rask. Bruins have 7 million in cap space if they place Savard on LTIR. The 2012 salary cap increase is 1.13m and minus Krecji’s 1.5 million increase next season and the Bruins will have 6.63 million to spend.
Bruins can resign all their UFA’s and RFA’s and have extra to spend
Boychuk gets same $ as Seidenburg @ 3.25m per year (+1.375)
Kelly gets bumped up to 3m per year (+.875)
Campbell gets a raise to 1.5m per year (+.4)
Rask gets contract doubled to 2.5m (+1.25)
Thornton gets a raise to 1.1m per season (+.29)
Paille gets a raise to 1.4m per season (+.325)
Corvo gets a raise to 2.5m per season (+.25)
Pouliot gets a raise to 1.5m per season (+.4)
This is roughly a $5.165 Million cap hit increase for next season if Bruins resigned every UFA and RFA they have. Which mens they would end up being roughly 1.5m under the cap next season with only a 1.3 million cap space increase.
These are pretty solid guesses at what their new contracts will be based off similar players contracts. I gave everyone who is a UFA or RFA a significant raise in salary and bruins still have roughly 1.3 million to play with.
This shows Bruins are in really good shape and have a little bit of money to upgrade one of their players on this current roster through a trade at the deadline without sacrificing their future.
dollar phil money and he gets to win stanley cups.
Deano
I was glad that you mentioned Boychuk. His game has improved and hopefully the B’s make a strong attempt to sign him. As well, some of the B d-men are getting a little long on the tooth, so that should increase his worth to the organization. Hamilton looks like a sure fire regular, but other than that I don’t see anyone else jumping up. Kampfer has looked soft defensively. I don’t get a chance to watch the P-Bruins, but none of the D-men have really jumped up on the prospect chart. I had hopes for Ryan Button.
I like it. Now let’s see PC lock up Kelly and Campbell for a few more years.
I’d be really interested to hear what other GMs and scouts are saying.
The other thing to really love about this contract is the limited no-trade clause, which basically means he won’t be a Hab if things go south, and his contract is not so ridiculous that he won’t be movable if he has a bad year (there is no clause next year because of the CBA.) It’s actually allows Chia a huge amount of flexibility despite Krecji becoming the highest paid forward on the team starting next season. The more I think about this signing the more I like it.
Also, three years is a perfect point to evaluate the development of our prospects and make future decisions. If it’s worth it to sign Krejci again, then i have trust PC will do it. And if it looks like he’s just blocking space for up and coming prospects in 2015, well then he won’t be resigned. Perfect move.
As a die-hard Krejci fan, and a Krejci jersey owner, i have to say i am relieved he is locked up for at least three more years.
Chia made a smart move on this one. Krejc has shown us glimpses of elite dominance since the 09 season- but it seems like every year i make excuses to myself saying “next year hell come through”. Which is not to say that he doesn’t come through. because he does, when the time is right and when the stakes are high. But what i am getting at is that three years is perfect length. If he shows lingering inconsistency and doesn’t firmly cement himself as the star we all know he can be, then the bruins aren’t stuck with a ridiculous contract. But i want Krejci to be better then any of us think he can be. Go bruins.
This is great for the Bruins. Krecji is a dynamic player and is a perfect fit on the line with Lucic and Horton. The reason he got a little more than Bergeron, it is called inflation, the salary cap goes up every year so naturally the contracts do as well and 250K more per year is basically the same thing.
This sets the Bruins up well for the trading deadline. If they can get Rask, Boychuk, and Kelly resigned (in that order) before the trading deadline they will have more flexibility in knowing what their salary cap space will be for next season. They still have a lot of cap space to resign their players and possibly upgrade a winger on this roster at the trading deadline or add depth to the defense or both.
You build from the net out, that is how the Bruins just won the cup. You don’t trade a goalie for a position player. Do not trade Tuuka, he is only 24 and won’t hit his prime 28 until Thomas is 42 and probably not playing anymore.
The guy is a great player. I have no doubt he is one of the best guys they can have for the role he plays. He is not the kind of guy that lights up a regular season to the tune of 100 points(though he could be soon — still may not have peaked as a performer yet), but he delivered last year in the playoffs and Bruins felt it hard when he went down the year before. Critical signing.
I think if possible Chirelli will take care of this team. Chemistry is just not something you can mess with. Bergeron’s stock only rises as a result of the line he is on, and I think he likes it that way. Only postion I see available is one hemmm defensman spot but i’m not dying for it at this time and would only trade prospects or ahl players to get one.
go B’s!
Since Bergeron undoubtedly doesn’t care, why should we?
I like the signing, but don’t think Krejci should make more than Bergeron.
PC should have stood strong at $5 mil. per.
But MK makes the important point:
“The Bruins might have overpaid a bit, but such is life when you win the Cup and a player like Krejci nearly wins the Conn Smythe with a near point-per-game performance.”