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(Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Bruins legend and future Hockey Hall of Famer, Patrice Bergeron, is officially back for his 19th NHL season. The Bruins Captain agreed to a 1-year, $2.5 million deal with the Boston Bruins on Monday morning. There was heavy speculation that Bergeron would be retiring after last season, but the 37 year old isn’t finished pursuing his second Stanley Cup.
The Bruins certainly have some question marks going into the 2022-23 season. There were rumors at the beginning of the offseason that Boston would be taking trade offers on David Pastrnak, couple that with the fact that both Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy will be missing a good chunk of time to start the season after undergoing surgery, and you’d have to think that the Bruins will be scratching and clawing their way through the first half of the season. The Bruins rank third in the NHL in average age, at 28.22 years old, according to eliteprospects.com.
However, the aging Bruins have made the playoffs every year since 2017, and with a solid core of Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron — who do still perform at a high level — along with young guns like David Pastrnak (if he stays) and Charlie McAvoy, Boston does have what it takes to make the postseason again in 2023. How much longer after that will they remain competitive? That’s the big question at hand.
Bergeron’s career accolades as a Boston Bruin goes as follows:
1x Stanley Cup Champion (2011)
5x Selke Trophy winner (2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2022)
3x NHL All-Star (2015, 2016, 2022)
3rd in Bruins history in games played (1,216)
3rd in all-time Bruins game winning goals (74)
4th in all-time Bruins goals (400)
4th in all-time Bruins assists (582)
4th in all-time Bruins points (982)
2nd in all-time Bruins playoff points (127)
2nd in all-time Bruins playoff assists (78)
Tied 3rd in all-time Bruins playoff goals (49)
Bergeron played 73 games in 2021-22, putting up 65 points on 25 goals and 40 assists. Bergeron did deal with long stints on the IR last season.