Bruins operating as if Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci won't be playing next season

BOSTON -- It may indeed be the end of an era for Boston Bruins hockey. Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci might be done for good.

That's according to Bruins president Cam Neely, who spoke to reporters Tuesday ahead of this week's draft and said that the Bruins are going through their offseason as if Bergeron and Krejci won't be back next season.

"For us, we've gotta really kind of plan like they're not coming back, until we hear otherwise," Neely said. "We would not be doing the organization a service if we planned like they are coming back and then we're told they're not. So for us, it's kind of two paths, going down two paths. Hopefully, we'll hear something soon. But we're certainly going to give those guys the time that they need."

Bergeron told reporters after the season that he expected that he'd tell Neely and Don Sweeney his plans before the start of free agency, just as he did last year. That date this year comes on Saturday, July 1. And with the Bruins' front office in a salary cap squeeze and needing to make some deals this week ahead of and during the draft, word from Bergeron -- and Krejci -- would have to come very soon.

Neely, who himself attempted a comeback in 1998, spoke to how difficult the decision to step away from the game can be.

"I think as a player, you may think you're done, but a month or two into the offseason, you're like, 'Wait a minute, what am I gonna do next winter?' And really, let's be honest, there's nothing better than playing hockey or playing a sport," Neely said. "So when it's over, it's over for good, for the most part."

"We've been very open, we've told them we understand that you're gonna take some time to make decisions," Neely added. "But we have to do our jobs, too."

If Bergeron and Krejci are indeed walking away, it's not an altogether surprising development, considering both players had been quite open about their indecision following the team's surprisingly early postseason departure. It is nevertheless representative of a new era potentially dawning for the Bruins franchise.

Bergeron, who will turn 38 years old this summer, was drafted in the second round of the 2003 draft and has played in 1,294 regular-season games (third-most all time) and 170 playoff games (second-most all time). Krejci, who turned 37 in April, was drafted in the second round one year after Bergeron and has played in 1,032 regular-season games (fifth-most in franchise history) and 160 playoff games (third-most). Krejci and Bergeron are tied for second (with Brad Marchand) in Bruins postseason points with 128, while they rank third (Bergeron) and ninth (Krejci) in career regular-season points.

Bergeron began wearing an A on his sweater in the 2006-07 season, while the alternate captain honor was bestowed upon Krejci in 2013. Bergeron became the captain of the team in 2021, after the free-agent departure of longtime captain Zdeno Chara. 

Both players suffered late-season injuries that limited their availability in the playoffs, with Bergeron suffering a herniated disc in the regular-season finale and Krejci suffering a lower-body injury that kept him off the ice for the final six games of the regular season and three of Boston's seven postseason games.

Yet despite injuries, a couple of lockouts, and a season for Krejci spent back home in his native Czech Republic, the two centers have been mainstays of the Bruins franchise for the past two decades.

Now, the Bruins believe that time may be over.