A new contract is more of a reflection on what a person can offer to his bosses in the future, not his achievements. For Peter Chiarelli, the man who usually negotiates contracts for his employer, things are no different.
On Monday, Chiarelli signed a four-year extension that will keep him atop the Bruins hockey operations masthead as general manager through 2013-14. The extension will kick in after Chiarelli completes the fourth and final season of the initial deal he signed May 26, 2006, when he replaced Mike O’Connell.
By locking up Chiarelli, owner Jeremy Jacobs indicated he likes the job the GM has done, but that he expects greater things than a second-round playoff exit for the rest of the Ottawa native’s time in Boston.
“What I’ve seen is a real increase in morale or a heightened enthusiasm among players, coaches, and the rest of the group,’’ Chiarelli said yesterday at TD Banknorth Garden. “To get to where we are now and to build upon it even further is exciting.
“We’re entering into a new level of expectation for this team that is exciting. And more demanding. I’ll be honest, it’s more demanding. But you like a challenge.’’
And so the executive who signed David Krejci to a three-year, $11.25 million extension June 2, projecting that the 23-year-old could become one of the NHL’s top two-way centers, will now be entering the sweet spot of his career when his skills are needed the most.
For the 2009-10 season, the NHL salary cap will remain at $56.7 million or dip slightly. The Bruins, like approximately half the league’s clubs, will feel the pinch. It will be the most significant hurdle the Bruins will face if they are to improve upon a second-round postseason showing.
Chiarelli must rebuild his 2008-09 roster - Phil Kessel, Matt Hunwick, and Byron Bitz are restricted free agents - while assembling enough depth to make a run the way Pittsburgh did en route to its Stanley Cup championship. Yesterday, Chiarelli declined to comment on negotiations with the free agents.
The Bruins have committed $48 million to 16 players next season, not including Tuukka Rask ($850,000 cap hit prior to bonuses, which the goalie will have a tough time hitting) and Vladimir Sobotka ($750,000), who project to become full-time NHLers in 2009-10. Cap commitments could also rise by $1,383,333 if arbitrator Richard Bloch rules in favor of the Bruins on Glen Murray’s buyout grievance.
“I’ve seen trends on certain teams and I can project how they’re going to be,’’ said Chiarelli. “They want to have their core players eat up most of the funds, then you backfill with lesser-salaried players. We’re going to try and stay away from that. I think that can be dangerous.
“We still have the depth in the American League that we can build upon. That’s not to say we won’t bring back several of the players that we called ‘depth players.’ But it’s really important. It’s such a grind over the course of the year, especially in the playoffs. We did lose two defensemen. After that, if we’d lost any more, we’d be testing our depth.’’
One asset on Chiarelli’s side is Claude Julien, who could claim the Jack Adams Award tomorrow as the NHL’s Coach of the Year.
Julien will be entering the third and final year of his contract. Chiarelli said he plans to sit down with Julien shortly to discuss an extension.
While bringing on Dave Lewis as coach was Chiarelli’s hastiest decision as GM, his hiring of Julien (and the subsequent introduction of assistants Craig Ramsay and Geoff Ward to complement Doug Houda and Bob Essensa, two Lewis holdovers) was his shrewdest.
Once Chiarelli can extend Julien and complete the roster-building for next year, ownership, management, coaching staff, and the players can collectively kick off the process of building on the successes of 2008-09, when they finished first in the Eastern Conference in points (116) and second overall to San Jose (by one point). Then perhaps the Bruins can taste the elation the Penguins have experienced since besting the Red Wings in seven games.
“What I did see in the playoffs was guys that were sacrificing their bodies. Every shift,’’ Chiarelli said. “We’re not at that point yet. I recognize that. It makes it more clear where we have to be.
“We’re getting there. I see that at various stages this past year. But certainly it’s more clear now when you see every player on every one of their shifts, they’re going to sacrifice their body, blocking a shot or taking a check, whatever it is. That became very clear to me.’’
Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at fshinzawa@globe.com. 
