David Krejci Extension Solidifies Bruins' Bright Future

The Boston Bruins didn’t want their star center going anywhere, and that includes free agency.

Today the team announced the extension of 28-year-old David Krejci to a six-year deal worth $43.5 million, per ESPNBoston.com's Joe McDonald and ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun. The contract will start at the beginning of the 2015 season, as he is still under contract for this year.

Krejci has proven to be one of the most important players on the Bruins, who are only a year removed from a Stanley Cup Final appearance. The Czech center is the driving force on the top line in Boston for a team that just won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2014 with a 54-19-9 record.

Despite the early playoff exit, the Bruins likely feel they have a great opportunity to win another Stanley Cup this year, and Krejci will be a big part of that.

Last season, he led the team in points with 69 but more impressively led the entire league with a plus-39 rating. Krejci was ninth overall in the NHL with 50 assists and was a major reason Boston ranked third in goals per game.

The fact that the Bruins’ ownership wanted to keep their center around isn’t a shock, but the timing is a little off. The team had an additional year to work out this deal but decided to take care of business now.

Instead of waiting for next summer when Krejci could become an unrestricted free agent, the Bruins nabbed him now so there are no potential concerns.

Although the deal will cost Boston $7.25 million against the cap, there are many like NESN.com's Nicholas Goss who believe Krejci could have made more on the open market. Even though he had a terrible postseason in 2014, ownership and coach Claude Julien know he’s a key component to continued success. Quality centers are difficult to find in this league, so when you already have one, it's necessary to keep him.

While the contract would make him the highest-paid Bruin, the deal also puts the team in a good position financially.

The NHL was extremely successful in 2013-14. With success comes a new league record in revenue right around $3.7 billion. This achievement along with the new Canadian TV deal means the league’s salary cap should be rising significantly in the next few years.

So while the cap hit may seem like a lot in 2015, Krejci’s deal will be more affordable and more of a bargain in the years to follow. Also, finalizing it now gives the front office more breathing room to sign players like Reilly Smith and Torey Krug to longer contracts.

Going forward, this deal locks up the majority of Boston’s best forwards like Milan Lucic, Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and Marc Savard for at least the next two years. This offense and the defensive front of Zdeno Chara, Dennis Seidenberg and Tuukka Rask should make for a very difficult team to beat in 2014 and through the future.

By signing their man to a long-term deal, general manager Peter Chiarelli knows he has a star to build his team around for the next seven years.

Krejci is the perfect guy to have as the centerpiece for the Bruins for a number of reasons. He’s a smart guy who plays the Boston way in that he’s extremely physical.

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

He’s also shown to be very durable and someone who won't break down when he gets older. The center has missed only six regular-season games over the last three seasons. Krejci has accomplished this while playing a lot of minutes too. In 2013-14, he ranked in the top 30 among centers for total ice time.

Another bonus that comes with the signing is the potential for more stars to come to Boston in the near future.

With players like Bobby Ryan, Justin Williams, Jason Spezza and Craig Smith available in free agency next summer, the Bruins could have the right pieces with Krejci and others to lure more talent in their direction. No matter what the future holds, it appears the Bruins will be contenders for a very long time.