Boston Bruins Rumors: Patrice Bergeron set to return next season

The Boston Bruins have had a rough start to their offseason. They are already going to be without key players such as Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy, Matt Grzelcyk, and Mike Reilly to start the season due to surgeries each of them got this offseason. Ownership also decided it was time for a change on the bench and fired Bruce Cassidy a few weeks back too.

With a lot going wrong for the B’s early on here, it seemed like their biggest question mark of the offseason, Patrice Bergeron, was having his big decision made for him. Bergeron has been contemplating whether or not to retire this offseason, and with everything that the Bruins have endured so far, who could blame him for deciding to hang up his skates?

It seemed like all signs were pointing towards Bergeron retiring. But reports have begun to come out saying Bergeron will actually return next season, and will be signing a one year deal with the Bruins. This is huge news for Boston that should drastically change their offseason plan.

Patrice Bergeron returning means the Boston Bruins will be aiming to build a Stanley Cup contender yet again

After the Bruins were ousted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the playoffs this season, it was fair to wonder if their championship window had finally closed. With much of their veteran core gone, and far too little talent coming in the door, it seemed like Bergeron retiring could be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

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Instead, Bergeron is sticking around for at least one more season, and Boston’s championship hopes, however fleeting they may be, will stay in tact. There is still a lot of talent on Boston’s roster, but they are running out of time to turn it into a legitimate championship contender. This may be their last shot to do just that.

Bergeron is the glue that is holding Boston together right now. Without him, this team would most likely be staring down the barrel of a rebuild. But now that he is returning, that can be pushed off for at least one more season.

The Bruins front office has spent the past few seasons trying to use their assets to build a legitimate contender. The problem is that it hasn’t really worked yet. There is a ton of top-end talent on this roster, but the depth all over the roster just isn’t where it needs to be.

Finding that depth now becomes the key this offseason for the Bruins. They already have really good players like Taylor Hall and Hampus Lindholm that came over in trades to help the current core. But now that the top units are set, the third and fourth lines are the ones needing the help.

If the front office can get the top players on this team some support and depth, they will have a shot to make Bergeron putting off his retirement worth it. Heck, they already persuaded Bergeron to stay, so why not try to make a push for David Krejci to return too?

But it’s clear now that time is running out. The Boston Bruins need to make things happen this offseason if they want a shot at winning it all next season. It may be their last shot, so they better make it count.