The return of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci to the Bruins might have surprised some people, but Bruce Cassidy was not among those who were.
Boston re-signed both centers earlier this month to one-year contracts. Krejci spent last season in his native Czech Republic, while Bergeron -- who was contemplating another year or retirement -- will enter his 19th season with the Black and Gold.
There was some speculation about whether Cassidy, who was relieved of his coaching duties with the Bruins this summer, not returning to Boston had any impact on Bergeron and Krejci coming back. Both of them said it didn't, and Cassidy had his turn to share his thoughts in a conversation with The Boston Globe's Matt Porter.
"(Bergeron) didn't let on to me. I didn't bother him about it," Cassidy, now the head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights, told Porter. "I told him, he's got a lot of good hockey left in him. How much he wants to play is up to him. He's still got a lot to give.
"With Krech, he was very upfront with what he was doing, with me and the organization. He's got young children. He wanted them around his children after COVID."
Krejci long has said he wants to return to the Czech Republic when his NHL career is done. After one season he'll return to Boston. Maybe he wanted to play more games. Maybe he wanted to give it one last shot at a Stanley Cup with Bergeron. Maybe he wanted to play more competitive hockey.
Krejci also made it clear he wanted to play with David Pastrnak. The two have unmatched chemistry, which was on display through the IIHF World Championship this summer, but at the time Pastrnak was succeeding alongside Bergeron and Brad Marchand. It just didn't make sense to break up that elusive top line at that time.
"I talked to him a lot," Cassidy told Porter. "One of the things Krech often said to me was, 'I'll drive whatever line I’m on.' He felt he was good enough to do that, and that was his responsibility. Did he want to play with (David) Pastrnak? Of course. He did ... I had lots of conversations with Krech, power play, what spots. So in that regard, I thought we were always on the same page. Just couldn't play Pastrnak with both of them."
It's unclear how the Bruins lines will look when the puck drops on the 2022-23 season in October, especially with Marchand sidelined to start the year after a double hip surgery. But it's probably a safe bet to make that we'll see Krejci and Pastrnak together with Taylor Hall on the second line.
