The Bruins’ offseason to-do list started on the second line. Re-sign Taylor Hall. Re-sign David Krejci.
They are on the verge of putting a checkmark next to one of those items, with TSN’s Darren Dreger reporting on Thursday that the Bruins and Hall are “working on the final details” of a four-year, $24 million deal.
There is still a question mark next to the second item, and the fact that there is should be at least a little concerning.
While there had been plenty of rumors and reports leading up to Hall’s new contract, things have been oddly quiet on the Krejci front.
Back on June 11, during his end-of-season press conference, Krejci called Boston his home, said he couldn’t see himself playing for another NHL team, and said his next deal wouldn’t be about money. But he also reaffirmed a desire he has expressed in the past, which is to, at some point, finish his career in his native Czech Republic, in part because he would like his kids to experience life there and learn the language.
That was the last we had heard until general manager Don Sweeney provided an update during his media availability on Thursday.
“Have been in touch with David. Gonna respect all his privacy and decisions. At this point in time, he has not given a firm indication,” Sweeney said. “As he referenced before, he’s got some things that he wants to address, and then he’ll let us know. But yeah, I have been in regular communication with David. There’s no timeline to make decisions.”
Asked if that uncertainly puts the Bruins in a bind with the start of free agency now less than a week away, Sweeney played it cool.
“No,” he said. “We have guys that will step into roles. Obviously we’ll address needs throughout our lineup and certainly explore options and address it as we go. We acknowledge that it would be a big hole if we had to fill it, but a real good opportunity for someone if we do go in that direction. We’re going to have to find a way to spread things around if David makes a decision otherwise, but that hasn’t been the indication. We’re hopeful that he’ll come back, and we’ll see.”
OK, so the Bruins are still “hopeful.” Krejci hasn’t told them he’s not coming back. But we’re really starting to cut it close, aren’t we?
It’s fine for Sweeney to say publicly that there’s “no timeline.” You don’t want to come off as publicly pressuring a player who has spent his entire 15-year career with your organization, helped you win a Stanley Cup, and is one of your alternate captains.
But the Bruins really do need an answer from Krejci sooner rather than later. Whether he’s coming back or not dramatically impacts their offseason.
Krejci’s return, presumably at a pretty team-friendly price, would give them a very good and very affordable second line. Krejci, Hall and right wing Craig Smith found instant chemistry on and off the ice.
In 180 five-on-five minutes together in the regular season, those three outscored opponents 13-1 and had a 66.1% share of shot attempts and 67.6% of expected goals. While their goal differential dropped to an even 3-3 in the playoffs, they still had 56.9% of shot attempts and 61.4% of expected goals.
“Obviously when we did that trade and I got put together with Hallsy and Smitty, it was amazing,” Krejci said back in June. “It wasn’t just on the ice. They’re such good guys, too. Smitty is the nicest person ever. I didn’t know Hallsy at all before. He surprised me. Obviously you know what kind of player he is, but he surprised me as a person.
“We would hang out a lot. We got really close, became really good friends. That kind of carries out on the ice as well. If you get good chemistry away from the game, then you come in the game and sometimes you don’t even have to say anything. You just know how that person feels. It was great. I love playing with those guys, I love hanging out with those guys. I had lots of fun the last couple months for sure.”
That sounds like someone who would be really tempted by the idea of playing with Hall and Smith again, an idea that would now be reality if Krejci does return. But we’re not inside Krejci’s mind. Going to the Czech Republic may be just as tempting, if not more.
And if that latter temptation does ultimately result in Krejci walking away, then the Bruins have a big hole that won’t be easy or cheap to fill.
The Bruins don’t have another No. 2 center on their roster. Charlie Coyle is being paid like someone who in theory should be able to play that high in the lineup, but he really struggled in a third-line role last season. Perhaps his knee injury that required offseason surgery was more serious than anyone knew and the healthy Coyle who returns in the fall will be able to step up, but that’s a big ask. Jack Studnicka may still grow into that kind of role someday, but he’s not there yet.
Phillip Danault is reportedly “highly unlikely” to re-sign with the Canadiens, but he’s also highly likely to find a robust bidding war for his services in a free-agent market that is otherwise bereft of top-six centers. There are always the Jack Eichel trade rumors, but good luck trying to pull that off. Perhaps another center will shake loose at some point, but the point here is that finding a top-two center is no easy task.
Right now, though, the Bruins don’t even know if they need to be targeting one. And if they don’t get an answer from Krejci soon, they’re going to start missing out on ways to get one. The draft is a popular time for trades, but that’s this weekend. Free agency starts Wednesday, and Danault may not last long.
Krejci has earned the right to take his time with this important life decision, but until he makes it, all eyes are now on him.
Related
