It had long been clear that it would be the Bruins or retirement. Patrice Bergeron chose the first option.
Posted at 9:47 a.m.
Updated at 10:01 a.m.
The 37-year-old Quebecer has agreed to the terms of a new one-year contract with the team that drafted him in 2003 and with which he has spent his entire career. An unrestricted free agent, he obviously wasn’t looking to break the bank, accepting a $2.5 million salary with $2.5 million in performance bonuses.
Even if he pocketed all these bonuses, the total amount represents an obvious windfall for the Bruins, who thus ensured the services of one of the best center players in the NHL, and certainly the best in his position in defensive cover. At the end of the 2021-2022 season, Bergeron received the Selke trophy for the fifth time in his career, a record.
According to journalist Renaud Lavoie, of TVA Sports, these bonuses are conditional on the veteran playing only 10 games. It is therefore a formality. By structuring the contract in this way, the Bruins make sure to keep some flexibility in terms of salary, since the clubs can spend beyond the ceiling in force if performance bonuses must be paid to their players.
Bergeron will therefore begin a 19e season in Boston. He already occupies a predominant place in the history of the franchise, of which he is among the leaders in terms of games played, goals and points, in particular, both in the season and in the playoffs.
The native of L’Ancienne-Lorette, near Quebec City, had cast doubt on his future following the Bruins were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last spring. Even his coach and teammates, in public at least, didn’t seem to know if their captain had played his last game alongside them.
All sorts of rumors have since swirled regarding him.
The announcement of his contract extension was finally delayed. But both Bruins players and fans got the news they were hoping for.
