All stats courtesy of hockeyreference.com.
Next up on my list is forward David Krejci! Krejci appeared in 81 games for the Bruins last season, in which he produced 20 goals and 53 assists. He then played in all 24 of the team’s playoff games on their run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, through which he tallied four goals and 12 assists. Drafted in the second round (63rd overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Bruins, Krejci has appeared in 850 career NHL games, over which he has recorded 194 goals and 449 assists. The 33-year-old center has only played for the Bruins organization over his 13 season NHL and professional career.
Krejci is one of the most underappreciated players on the Bruins roster, and gets a lot of hate from fans, mainly because of his contract. He’s the highest-paid player on the Bruins roster (for the time being) with a $7.25 million cap hit for the next two seasons, which is certainly an overpayment. But, while frustrating and it would be nice if he had a lesser cap hit, it doesn’t mean he isn’t a really good player. In fact, Krejci set a career-high in assists this season with 53 and tied his career-high in points with 73. He’s an excellent passer and playmaker with terrific vision, and he has a high hockey IQ as well as an uncanny ability to slow down the game. He’s also a smooth skater, and he has formed great chemistry with Jake DeBrusk. He can be frustrating at times because he is always a pass-first player who often passes up the chance to shoot because of it, but having players like that is not necessarily a bad thing. Krejci is at his best when he’s with a bigger, physical winger, or with a goal-scorer, and DeBrusk is a hard-nosed, physical goal-scorer who’s fast and not afraid to go to the dirty areas. But, he showed this year that he does not necessarily need that to succeed. He had a revolving door at his right wing this season and still managed to have a career year at 33 years old. If the Bruins can give him another consistent winger, he could be even better. Krejci is a valuable member of the Bruins roster, and even though he is overpaid and frustrating at times, trading him would be a huge mistake and leave a big hole both on and off the ice, as he’s also a leader in the dressing room.
As for what we can expect out of Krejci next season, we’ll see the same player, and hopefully, he’ll be healthy again but that is no guarantee. Regardless, he’ll still be one of the Bruins’ top playmakers and passers, and he’ll still have great chemistry with DeBrusk. He’ll also still be a good option on the second power-play unit, and more than capable of moving up to the top line if Bergeron gets injured at any point (but ideally that doesn’t happen). However, even if he does play a full-season, I don’t think he’ll produce at quite the same rate point-wise. He certainly could, but he tied a career-high he set way back in 2008-09, so it seems unlikely that he produces that many points again at his age. But, if he can stay healthy, I think it’s safe to say he can produce 65+ points, and if he also has consistent wingers, then maybe it isn’t crazy to say he could put up 70+ points again next season. Point totals are hard to predict though, especially when an older player sets or ties a career-high, so I could be really far off here. As with everyone else, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens over the course of this upcoming season.
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