5 Options for the Bruins to Replace Patrice Bergeron

Bruins president Cam Neely told the media ahead of free agency that the team would be "operating under the assumption that Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí won't be back."

"We've got to really kind of plan like they're not coming back until we hear otherwise," he said in Nashville at the NHL Draft. "We would not be doing the organization service if we plan they are coming back and then we're told they're not."

That was a smart decision on Neely and the front office's part, as Bergeron officially announced his retirement Tuesday.

"It is with a full heart and a lot of gratitude that today I am announcing my retirement as a professional hockey player," he said on an Instagram post the Bruins shared. "As hard as it is to write, I also write it knowing how blessed and lucky I feel to have had the career that I have had, and that I have the opportunity to leave the game I love on my terms. It wasn't a decision that I came to lightly. But after listening to my body, and talking with my family, I know in my heart that this is the right time to step away from playing the game I love."

One day after his 38th birthday, Bergeron retired after signing a one-year contract amid retirement speculation last off-season. Bergeron spent his entire 19-year NHL career with the Bruins, winning a Stanley Cup in 2011 and captaining the best regular season in NHL history in 2022-23. He won the Selke Trophy a record six times, including his last two seasons in the league.

As hard as this retirement is emotionally for the Bruins and their fans, it also impacts the team and its future. After a record-breaking regular season and a disappointing first-round exit, how do the Bruins carry on without Bergeron and likely second-line center Krejčí?

There are few options considering both players' perpetual hometown deals, but there are options.

You know what you're getting with regular-season Scheifele. The 30-year-old center added another consistent season to his resume in 2022-23, with 42 goals and 68 points in 82 games.

It would be unfair to completely ignore his playoff-scoring resume, like that 2017-18 run in which he scored 14 goals and 20 points in 17 games. Overall, he's got 19 goals and 32 points in 37 total playoff games -- but he's also racked up 43 playoff PIMs in that span. There's been a recurring problem where Scheifele hasn't suited up for crucial playoff games, through untimely suspensions and injuries.

It happens, but you don't necessarily want that out of your first-line center if you're looking to contend. Beggars can't be choosers when scoping out the 2023-24 center market, though, and Scheifele is one of the top centers still available at this point. The biggest deterrent is financial, as his $6.125 million cap hit is still on the books for one more season.

The Bruins do have leverage given Scheifele publicly wants out, so some salary retention from the Jets and perhaps a contract dump to the tune of someone like Derek Forbort and his $3 million cap hit could make this trade work.

Maybe part of my reluctance when it comes to Scheifele stems from the weird vibes the Jets have had for the past five years, especially on the leadership and the Paul Maurice "I can't fix you" fronts. But unless there is significant salary retention and/or a Bruins contract dump, the Bruins should explore a few options before settling on the obvious big name ...

...like Elias Lindholm!

A pending UFA at the end of the 2023-24 season, Lindholm's future doesn't quite seem decided yet. It's at least as likely as it is not that he could be part of a Flames exodus that has been brewing since the end of their bizarre season and the Bruins would be remiss not to try to work something out if a trade is on the table.

The 28-year-old is entering the last year of his $4.8 million cap hit. He's had an interesting career that started out in Carolina and he built off a strong two-way foundation that blossomed when he was traded to Calgary. He jumped from 44 points and a minus-8 in 81 games in 2017-18 to 78 points and a plus-30 in 81 games in 2018-19.

Obviously, this goes for most centers, but Lindholm, in particular, seems to thrive with high-end wingers and had a career-high of 42 goals and 82 points in 82 games in 2021-22 alongside Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk. His production dropped by 20 points alongside considerably weaker linemates last season, but he still positively impacted the team. According to NaturalStatTrick.com, when Lindholm was on the ice at five-on-five, the Flames owned a 56.09 percent Corsi-For, 52.75 percent share of high danger chances, 55.45 percent share of expected goals for, and a 55.70 percent faceoff percentage.

Nobody on Earth is replacing six-time Selke-winner Bergeron. But at $4.8 million, a defensively sound Lindholm who thrives with top talent (Pastrňák and Marchand, anyone?) feels like the best available fit -- if he is available.

The problem obviously becomes that the Flames aren't chomping at the bit to trade him. The Bruins would likely have to figure out a way to fit his full salary into their cap situation, all while giving up a valuable asset and change.

When you're suddenly missing a top center, though, you gotta try and make that happen.

Kuznetsov joining a Bergeron-less Bruins team feels like a millennial hockey fan's bizarro world, but the possibility is real with Kuznetsov's trade request and the Bruins' need for at least one, probably two, top-six centers.

This does feel like the least likely route for the Bruins. Kuznetsov carries a $7.8 million cap hit next season, and on top of that being unrealistic for the cap-strapped Bruins, moving big contracts has been a pretty unsuccessful endeavor this offseason.

Then, there's his inconsistent resume. It's sort of funny when you look at it -- he has a pattern of scoring in the high-70s and then immediately following it up with a 50-point year for almost his entire career. He had a particularly poor 2022-23 as the Capitals missed the playoffs, scoring only 12 goals and 55 points with a -26 rating in 81 games.

Maybe he's due for another 70+ point season as his patterns would suggest, but I wouldn't bet on enough of a bounce back from the 31-year-old to warrant a $7.8 million bet -- or giving up whatever the Capitals might be seeking to agree to retaining salary.

The Bruins and Capitals are two Eastern Conference clubs that have enjoyed consistent success in the mid-to-late aughts. I'm not sure I understand them doing business as their franchises find themselves in relatively similar situations. And yes, Kuznetsov has requested a trade, but he is better suited for a team with more cap space in a different situation.

Look, Bruins cap trouble was looming before the season even started. They knew they'd have to sign David Pastrňák to his blockbuster deal and his $11.25 million cap hit now occupies 13.5 percent of their total cap space according to CapFriendly.com.

There was the "good problem" that was going to become an inevitable obstacle once Bergeron and/or Krejčí retired, and that's how dang team-friendly their contracts have been, especially the one-year deals they both signed ahead of 2022-23.

Bergeron had a $2.5 million cap hit in 2022-23, which is basically unheard of for a first-line center not on an ELC -- especially one as good as Bergeron. Krejčí had a $1 million cap hit, which is just as unheard of for a second-line center of his caliber.

The Bruins simply aren't going to be able to fill these two crucial spots with the $5.429 million they currently have in cap space, especially when they still have to sign RFA goalie Jeremy Swayman and RFA forward Trent Frederic. Maple Leafs goalie Ilya Samsonov was awarded a one-year, $3.55 million contract after his arbitration period and Swayman will be commanding something in this ballpark come his hearing Sunday.

The Bruins will be extremely close to their limit when done with Swayman and Frederic's contracts, so at that point they have to either:

A) Hope they can get any of the aforementioned players for cheap

B) Maneuver another cap dump or

C) Do nothing.

A soft rebuild isn't totally out of the question, knowing the strength of the Eastern Conference, the impact of the loss of leadership and defensive prowess that only Bergeron can give and the playoff resume impossible to replace if Krejčí is gone.

My honest, if optimistic, opinion? This team is still way too good to start a rebuild.

They've got both Linus Ullmark and Swayman returning in net, two of the best wingers in the league in Brad Marchand and Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm still holding it down on defense, and reigning Jack Adams winner Jim Montgomery.

Even though they've lost crucial depth pieces like Taylor Hall, Tyler Bertuzzi, Dmitry Orlov, and leadership in Nick Foligno, they're still rocking with some of the depth that kept them going when the injury bug struck early in the season.

A huge part of that was Pavel Zacha stepping up in a first-line center role and although that's not totally ideal as a full-time first-line center scenario on a contending team, he did step up and had six assists in seven playoff games.

Realistically, there's nothing wrong with Charlie Coyle as your second-line center. The Bruins have been operating under the assumption that both Bergeron and Krejci wouldn't return, and they've already made two under-the-radar center depth.

I love the Morgan Geekie deal, he's young with tons of potential and could easily outplay his $2 million cap hit. Jesper Boqvist has had a rough go of it in New Jersey, but maybe he'll get on track with a fresh start under a coach that has helped other young players do the same. At worst, he's a cheap fourth-line center that can eat a few minutes without making too many mistakes for one year, which is much better than the common mistake of overpaying the fourth line (not that the Bruins really had that option).

I just can't imagine a world in which professionals at the top of their game like Pastrňák and Marchand don't keep a team competitive, especially with a returning goalie tandem like Vezina winner Ullmark and the up-and-coming Swayman.