Bruins re-sign Krejci

This is very good. Hopefully we can lock up Kessel too

Awesome!

I wonder what this means for Phil Kessel... and/or Patrice Bergeron.

In my opinion, this was the most important question mark of the offseason. Nice job Bruins, I look forward to seeing Krejci with the spoked B on his chest for years to come.

According to TSN

3.5 1st year - 3.75 2nd year - 4.0 3rd year - Cap hit of $ 3.75 mil

Great deal for both

$$$$???????

Awesome.

I want Hunwick and Bitz more than just Kessel

Score!

I hope to be associating that word with Mr. Krejci for a long time.

Good deal. Very good deal.

Welcome home Krejci!

When his contract is up, he will only be 26... you need to be 27 to be an unrestricted free agent. So we either sign him again or get draft picks for him. I love Chiarelli.

Great move, #1 priority is locked up. Now on to Kessel et al. This contract gives the B's great flexibility moving forward.

Good quick work by Chiarelli on a key signing.

Is it me... or is that considerably less than the late-season reports were indicating we'd have to pay. Hopefully this means we'll be able to squeeze Kessel under the cap too.

Nice,
Now trade Kessel for a 1st round pick

Good job Peter and David! Now we need to nail down Kessel and Hunwick. Bitz I don't see a problem with he's not nearly as in demand as K and H. Begeron is a great player and a great story, but he'll have to take a pay cut to stay I think. Obviously, dump Fernandez and bring up Rask. Also we should go after Recchi for the same money as he's making now, I think he'll take it, he wants a championship more than the money nowadays.

One "K" down......One to go

I want all three..... Consider me greedy.

This is good news. Let's see how the rest of the off season plays out.

Chiarelli rocks! Krejci rocks!

A no brainer for the Bruins.Kessel will be hung on a fishing line all summer.Charlie the MAD FISHERMAN told me that one.

Thank you Krejci for staying at a good price.
I wish more players weren't so greedy.
This will help sign Kessel if he signs for around the same amount.
stay in boston phil
we want it bad

Great move. I agree with Mario. Trade Kessel and get some defense.

Cap-friendly deal for the B's. Now sign Kes and Hunny, asap.

I think most of the people tossing around bigger numbers were blowing smoke out holes that aren't supposed to be shown in public. Yes, if the cap weren't expected to shrink he might have gotten as much as five (doubtful) but much as we all love him he's actually only had one full NHL season, and a hip injury is not the near career ender a knee injury is. If i could only choose him or Jordan Staal to start my team with, I'd choose Krejci, mostly for his brains. (Not that JS is stupid, he's just not DK.) if he wanted to play for more money he could have held out and gone somewhere like Minnesota or the Rangers who are desperate for offense, Columbus who want a #1 center for Nash like Gary Bettman wants _anyone_ other than Basille as an NHL owner. Hell with the Sedin's contracts up Vancouver would even probably have been in play. This contract was possible at this price i suspect at least in part because he wants to play here.

From a fans perspective (and more cynically from a business one as well) him getting the very well deserved 7th player award may just have been the best thing to happen to the Bruins this year.

Love the move; and in response to Comment Number 11, that's even more remarkable; great signing by PC.

And in regards to Kessel; I know his scoring will be difficult to replace throughout the season, but I'd like to see the Bruins get some more size in front of the net and upgrade their defense as well this offseason. Running the table in the regular season and tallying up 100 points is one thing; succeeding in the playoffs is another. To contend in May and June; the Bruins need more size and grit.

It'll be interesting to see how the rest of the offseason shapes up; would like to see Bitz and Hunwick locked up soon. In regards to Phil; if the price is right - go for it, if not, the Bruins will have some extra space to shore up the areas mentioned above.

NICE!!!

with all the talk on sigining the kids, the BRUINS NEED TO KEEP GUYS LIKE AXEY AND YELLE IF THEY WANT TO WIN A CUP!!!!!!!

NOW THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKIN' ABOUT!! Great term, great numbers! David Krejci is developing into one of the craftiest young centers in the league and I'd like to think we still have not seen the best of him YET! Okay, let's get Bitz, Hunwick, Kessel and....Chiarelli done!!

Great proactive-instead-of-reactive move and a radical departure from the previous regime's (Sinden/O'Connell) m.o. This kid's got a great upside (better than Kessel's, even?) and he didn't (seem to want to) break the bank, so this getting done as quickly as it did is a good start. The Bruins still need a defenseman/defensive system whose skating, puck-handling, and decision-making can consistently beat back a strong forecheck, though. Not only that, but a "go to the net" mentality has to become instinctive among ALL of the forwards, particularly the wingers (not just Lucic), too.

hunwick and bitzy are the most important two the B's must sign...give them Montador's money...

It is absolutely fantastic that the Bruins are being proactive and got this done. I am excited to see the B's are takign winning seriously!

Hope the hip is ok. When is he expected to be able to play?

I'm wondering what his ramp-up time to full game condition will be, and when.

Great news. Krejci is a magician with the puck. Just a great player...

hoooraaaay for Krejci!

lets get Kessel signed now---with all the talk about trading him to get some size up front and on the D---does everyone remember the last time we had a team like that---the Canadians ran circles around them and came back from a 3-1 deficit. If you trade 36 goals, you best get 36 goals in return and not down the road with draft picks, but right now

Great signing ! The Bruins would be STUPID to trade Kessell for a draft pick :Kessell is the real thing, a draft pick is no more than a wish (how many succed ? how much timr does it take...??)

This is a cap friendly deal for sure. If Kessel signs for roughly the same, then the Bruins have a little room to play and keep Bergeron. Let's remember he is only 23 and his line, with Recchi, was the best in the Carolina series. I believe he was just hitting his stride in the playoffs. I see him being better this year.

Great job Peter and David.

Trade Kessel? Why don't we trade Kobasew/Ryder/Ward instead to free up cap space for D help? People really want to trade a 21 year old sniper at this stage of his career? I'd rather keep the young players with possible untapped potential than see them leave and become great with another organization. Get Kessel done at 3 years at 4.25 and we have both K's locked up for 8 million. That's great value for 2 great young players.

Great news!!! especially early on in an offseason that started too early.

Contract is good for both sides. Wooo!!!!

I don't agree with trading Kessel either 36 goals and how many games missed.
His age and speed and scoring touch would be missed.
Don't forget we did trade away Boyes and Versteeg big mistakes.

Keep as many as possible. Let the door hit Montador on the way out.

Um, why would PC who's proved pretty shrewd sign Kessel for more than Krejci?
In 222 nhl games Kessel has 126 points. Or roughly .57 points per game (rounded up)
In 144 NHL games Krejci has 100 points. That's roughly .70 points per game.

Do we even need to get into which one actually plays the PK, and the PP?

Great news. He is the future.

Great to see Krejci locked-up for 3 years. To those saying to trade Kessel, wake up! He's just 21 years old, and has been getting better each year, despite battling cancer, and the torn rotator cuff at the end of this season. He's got blazing speed, a fantastic scoring touch, and he's improving on his defensive responsibilities. A legit star in the making. Dumping him now, for a #1 pick or otherwise, would be a huge error, and would come back to haunt the B's.

Posts #15 and #23 Trade Kessel? Why on earth would you do this? This is the top goal scorer on the team at age 21. This is a true sniper. We will not have enough scoring without him next year. You can sign and have all the nice players you want, but you need players to specifically put the puck in the net and this guy is top 10 in the NHL at doing just that. Kessel is an absolute necessity for this team.

Kessel has perhaps the best best wrist and snap shots in the NHL, they are off his stick so quickly that goalies are lucky to see the shot. He has explosive speed. He rarely gives the goaltender a chance to read him and set up. And he's been improving every season. They guy played hurt. Any of you ever have a torn labrum and rotator cuff? I have. So, the kid's got guts. Yes, he is not built like Milan Lucic, but you still need players like Kessel.

The Krejci signing is huge. And by all means we must keep Hunwick and Bitz too. It can be done. Plus, there is even more talent in the pipeline.

need

Vote for Looch

http://www.hockeyfights.com/forums/f47/2008-09-neely-award-best-skilled-fighter-122004/

Great way to start the summer--it's never too soon for news like this! David, glad to have you here for a while. (And kudos to PC--love how he made special mention of Krejci's competitive fire). Since I apparently missed their exit interviews on this blog, might as well add that I'd like to see some of that spirited play rub off on players like Wheeler and Wideman next season. Anyhow, great work, Bruins management.

Good deal at good dollars. Now offer Kessel 3m for next year. 3.5 for the 2nd and 4m for the third and that ought to lock him up. Hunwick could be done for a 2 year 1.75 mil per and we will be all set. Good job Peter C.

Thank You P.C.! Thank You Bruins! And, Thank you Napoleon Dynamite, for signing her for another 3 years. Welcome Home!!
Go B's!!!!

How the heck did this turn into a "trade Kessel" forum? Signing David is great, we should all be happy and I pray the B's are good for a long time to come. But, of course, typical New Englanders, we take this signing victory and turn it into an argument over Phil. We are absurd! By the way......Montador is awful! LOL

hopefully yhis sets the bar for kessel, he should sign for the same amt.

In 222 nhl games Kessel has 126 points. Or roughly .57 points per game
In 144 NHL games Krejci has 100 points. That's roughly .70 points per game.

Trade Kessel for a #1 pick...? Kessel was a #1 pick!!! Are we building for the future or trying to win now????? $3.75m for Krejci is not bad. They could get Kessel done for $4M most likely....he will probably wait until July 1st to see if any offer sheets come his way. In the current economic environment I don't see any huge offers coming however.....B's should wait it out and match any reasonable offer or they can sign him for short money if there aren't any......If they need to clear salary they can dump injury prone journeymen like Kobasew or Ference. Sturm and Bergeron should also be considered as expendable

Kessel is not a sniper, he's a dangler. His problem is he's always trying to be fancy. When it works, it looks pretty, but he gives up a lot of pucks, and is terrible with one-on-one battles. He never hits anyone, and collapses when he is hit. He's bad on the defensive side of the puck and really benefitted from having Marc Savard. This is why Krejci was more valuable and why Kessel may bring more in a trade than being resigned. Scoring was not an issue for the Bruins last season. Look at the team splits. If the Bruins could sign another good goal scoring 2-way winger or a big puck moving defenseman for the money they save without having Kessel, then I say go for it.

Thank goodness no one here has the GM job for the Bruins. LOL! Everyone cracks me up!

If Kessel stays then great! If he goes then I have to trust that PC knows what he's doing. I also doubt that those who threaten to stop supporting the team if Kess goes will keep their word. Thats right, I'm calling "Shenanigans" on you!

Is it October yet? I miss our boys already. Watching the Pens/Wings series just isn't the same.

Surely, it's time for a rundown of salaries, a look at the space left under the cap and a renewed call from the Globe to trade Kessel.

nash, stilly post. Kessel will be cheaper than Krejci first of all, Krejci is a much more complete player. Also Kessel was not a number 1 pick, he was a 5th pick

I would love to see Kessel sign the same contract.

If his demands are too high I don't have an issue trading him, however PC would need to address the loss of offensive production some other way. As others have stated, trading Phil for picks (unless the intent is to flip them) is foolish. If he goes I'd like to see a big puck moving defenseman come back and then fill the hole on wing via UFA or another trade (although a healthy Sturm and Bergeron would help fill that offensive hole mightily).

How about Kessel to Chicago for Cam Barker and a prospect?

All said if cap space is an issue, I'd rather trade Sturm, Kobasew and Ward before giving up on PK. However, if he gets too big for his britches ... use the asset and get good value for him.

I have a question for all the Bs fans.Givin what seems to be shaky support from the Boston press and fans,if you were all Kessel and got an offer for 5 mill somewhere else would you take it ?????

He meant a first round pick, not first over all.

nhl1.....Phil is a young talented guy. I repeat young...if someone were to offer him 5mil., I'm sure he would take it. I don't think he has any real ties to Boston. I mean, I'm sure he loves his team mates, but that's alot of money to have offered to you. That being said, I don't think any team will offer him that much, not in Today's NHL.

trading kessel for anything right now will only result in regret in the future. If you need to clear cap space, how about Kobasew, Sturm, or even Ryder? Kessel is a talent that doesn't come around often, and he's already our leading scorer at the ripe old age of 21.......I thought that trading our young leading scorers/point getters was the reason Bruins fans turned their back on the team (Allison, Carter, Thornton, Samsonov), now there's a good chunk of people trying to drive Kessel out of town.....unbelievable.

Now this gets our attention. I LIKE IT !
7.3 mill about left over on cap, Kessel 4.5 -5mill , 2.3mill left for Bitz/Hunwick.
Before post season starts I predict we will be over the cap unless they trade a player to free up cap space by draft for some drafts.
I'm still certain they will release a salary before the season starts via trade.
Remember, we also will need some 4th liners. Axelsson, Yelle going ....
But all in all look good.

Let's work on getting Valabik out of Atlanta. Friendly salary. And here's one over beers from last night...could the B's ever make it work financially to bring in Koivu? Many will ralph with that question, but if the Habs don't want him, he'd be a pretty good depth guy. He's a leader who has gone through an awful lot over the years, but...hey, it's the off-season. Let's post some thoughts and ideas.

Anything over $4million for Kessel is a waste, anything over 5 is "Bring Don Cherry out of retirement to play right defense." level stupid.

And Kessel for Evander Kane and another 1st round pick, or solid prospect & second round pick would please me if Kessel/his agent gets ah, innacurate views as to his worth

Dalton - we already shipped out our Boris Valabik project in Milan Jurcina a couple seasons ago .. I'm not sure he's the prototype we need more of with Stu and Z already providing the muscle on the back end.

As for Koivu, he's a pretty good player, but the B's have zero need for him. I'd rather have Savard, Krejci, Bergeron & SOB down the middle than adding Koivu to the mix. Hell, salary wise I'd prefer Yelle re-signed.

I wouldn't expect any major UFA signings. If any moves are made I would imagine it will be via trade since the B's need to lose salary in order to add it.

Bleeder, please enlighten us as to why a team would trade a top 5 pick (Kane's projection) and another 1st rounder or a solid prospect and a 2nd rounder for Kessel? Doesn't make much sense to me. I wish this would be a possibility, but this isn't a video game. No NHL GM is that stupid to give up 2 or 3 top tier prospects for Kessel. Mike O'Connell wouldn't even make this trade.

millerscourt,

IMHO, i think a lot of people turned their backs because the pride was gone. It left with our captain of nearly 20 years. I personally don't miss any of those guys you listed (least of all Samsonov). After the Bourque trade I vowed to not support any Bruins team with Harry Sinden as GM. When he stepped down I slowly started to come back. Once Chiarelli and Cam came aboard I came back 100%. Hockey is the only sport I follow so going without was torture. I'm glad its back and we all have a great team to cheer for and be proud of again.

Keep Kessel if possible. He's only 21 and can only get better. There are other ways to make space of the payroll. Out Fernandez, Montador, Bergeron (not that I don't like him but he's too expensive for what he's worth now), Ference (always injured) and ... why not Wideman (I'm afraid he had the season of his career !!).
Sign Kessel and Boowmeester

Krispy, Montador is already out since he isnt under contract. if they resign him i am sending my kids' jerseys & sticker off the back of my car to PC, and becoming a Phx Coyote fan.

Bergeron is going to have an awesome season - wait and see. there will be a lot of regret if he does it in another team's sweater.

If a team wants _immediate_ help, and a (relatively) known quantity, that might be an attractive deal. The Bruins don't have 5mil to spend on Kessel, but look at the salary room the top 7 teams have, if you assume the cap is the same next year:
1) NYI, has over $23million free
2) TBL have over $18 million free
3) Colorado has just under $13
4) ATL has more than $27 free
5) LAK has over $13 free
6) PHX has over $25 free
7) Toronto has a bit under $15
Of these teams: COL, PHX, TBL, LAK, were all in the bottom five for goals for. LAK actually allowed less goals per game than Detroit. They were 11th in the NHL for goals against. Assume Kessel has exactly the same 36 goals next season. Based on this years numbers that alone would take them from 27th in goals to a tie with the Ducks and Devils for spots 14-16. Both of those teams made the playoffs, NJ actually won their division.
And given the number of young guns in LA, and the relative weakness of that division, PK in October reasonably healthy could quite easily be the difference between the playoffs and golfing early.

Sure, Toronto is probably not the best fit as Burke likes bigger guys (but then neither is Kane a good fit). Nearly anything is going to help TBL. Hell this is a team Paul Mara could play top 3 D minutes on.

At this point we don't know where the Snowbird Jets will be to open the season, and that may come into it. If Atlanta decides to go for more offensive flash as their GM is clearly a moron, PK again could make a big difference, seriously imagine him, Kovulchuk and White on the same line.

A darkhorse running for Kessel if he's not signed by July 1 might be Minnesota who has pretty good D, but needs someone who can score they only had three guys finish with more than 20 goals and I doubt Gaborik will be back there next year.

It must be the off-season. What exactly is 'b&gbleeder' doing? Trying to figure out ways to help make other teams better? Not signing Kessel would make the Bruins worse. Period. the most galling thing was in the first sentence, referring to Kessel as a 'a relatively known quantity'. That's as dumb a thing as i've ever seen here. 'relatively known'? Is that the same thing as 'kinda unknown'? He will not cost 5 million dollars. He will be a Bruin next year and he should be. He is the Player they drafted and is becoming everything they projected. 'bleeder's' list is missing about 22 teams, because every team in the NHL would be interested in Phil Kessel Don't be so myopic, blogger. See what you've got.

...in other words, "b&gbleeder; No, i can't imagine Phil Kessel on a line with Kovalchuk and White or anywhere else. I imagine him playing with Savard and Lucic on a stronger and Cup-Ready Bruins team. If you and others did the same maybe Chiarelli could sign him for even less. It's amazing how much leverage is achieved when a Player feels welcomed and respected by the fans he plays for

From an opposition's perspective, it has nothing to do with money. The fact of the matter is Kessel is not worth another teams top 5 pick and one or two of their top prospects. Especially if your trying to rebuild in this market.

Actually no he's _not_ a known quantity. He still displays inconsistent effort, even healthy. And with the shoulder injury no one knows how well he will recover. I didn't state I wanted him elsewhere. Try reading what I said and not what you imagine it to say. If he and his agent don't agree to a reasonable price, he will not be Bruin next fall. These are some of the teams with cap space, and high enough draft picks to compensate the Bruins for him.

SoCalDoubleBruin,

LOL!
Hopefully it won't come to that but if it does I'm going to hold you to it! ;)

'b&gbleeder'. You said he was 'a relatively known quantity'. Yes or no? 'Relatively' doesn't mean that you can say you didn't say it? Why don't you try and imagine what it is you're trying to say. Because, the way i read it, You are shopping Kessel around ('relatively'), coming up with absurd trade scenarios (as usual) (which, I might add, is a fools game) You are even going so far as to float possible line combinations for other teams! If half of everything you say about Kessel (relatively speaking, of course) is true then Chiarelli should have no problem convincing him and his agent of his worth (or lack of worth...relatively speaking). if memory serves, you're the guy who did this all off-season last year; bad-mouthing Kessel, under-stating his worth, talent and contribution - until he made an absolute and utter fool of you and a ruin of any hockey cred you think blogging here gives you. For all your stats and blather and nhlnumbers.com and Axey and Thorny and blahblahblah 'b&gbleeder' you're still half-a-hockey chromosome short. You just really don't know a good hockey player when you see one. Chiarelli signs Kessel for 3 years and a Cap Hit of 4mil. Take it to the bank.

Theo,

Good to see you're reading 1/5th of what i write and under standint 1/5th of that, it means I'm not talking down to anyone with a clue.

Just curious,would the Boston fans appreciate Patrick Kane 1st rounder for the Blackhawks????? My take would be, he get torn apart also.

just readint (sic) wut you wrote, 'b&gbleeder' and don't worry, I'll let you know when you're talking down to me. It's not that tough really. You listed 7 teams with Cap room that you think would be a good fit for Phil Kessel. You haven't really ever stated anything resembling unequivocal support for Phil Kessel here have you? Even when he proved you wrong at every turn last year? Even when he went on the longest consecutive game point scoring streak this year and even now, in this year's Playoffs, when he finished 3rd in Team scoring (tied for 1st in goals) - with a ripped up shoulder - you're questioning his worth. That is what you're ultimately doing, right? Or is everything as you say, 'relative'? Which is a term, i think you think means; 'if you call me on this i'll deny it' . What's to misunderstand? What did I miss? Why not clear things up and talk straight, go on, gimme a clue, end this. Is there any amount YOU think Chiarelli should pay Phil Kessel? Or do you just want him gone?