David Krejci airs his thoughts on Bruce Cassidy

BOSTON -- When David Krejci re-signed with the Bruins last summer after spending a year playing in his native Czech Republic, he downplayed the significance of the firing of former head coach Bruce Cassidy having an impact on his decision to return to Boston.

Yet on Monday afternoon, after playing in his 1,000th NHL game, Krejci made a brief but pointed comment about his thoughts about the coaching situation in Boston.

"I like the mentality of this team to stay in the moment, take it game by game. Practice has been good," Krejci said after a 6-0 win. "Obviously, the coaching change helped a lot. And we're obviously feeling good."

It wasn't a lot, no, but it was a clear and direct message that the 36-year-old much prefers the Bruins' current status under Jim Montgomery over the previous era with Cassidy.

It's not altogether surprising. Last year, while playing in Europe, Krejci noticed from afar that Cassidy had dropped David Pastrnak to the second line to play with center Taylor Hall. Considering Krejci wanted that type of help on his line for years without Cassidy giving in, he couldn't help but comment.

"Coach Cassidy rarely let the two of us play together," Krejci said, via Google Translate on a Czech article. "Years later, I leave Boston and suddenly it is possible. That stunned me. ... Now Pasta is five or so games in line with Hall and [Erik] Haula. Strange."

That comment reflected some bitterness toward Cassidy, though when asked last summer about how much the coaching change impacted his decision to return, he downplayed the matter.

"That would be a good story if I would say 'yes,' but no -- my decision was made before they hired the new coach," Krejci said. "So the firing of Butchy had nothing to do with my decision coming back."

That response only partially answered the question, as the Bruins fired Cassidy in early June and hired Montgomery in late June. Krejci stating his decision was made before Montgomery was hired didn't really answer whether the ousting of Cassidy was a critical factor in his decision. But that, of course, required a bit of reading between the lines.

Monday's statement was a bit more clear. David Krejci believes the Bruins are better off without Bruce Cassidy. And with the NHL's best record at 34-5-4, the results have seemingly agreed.