BRIGHTON, Mass. — David Krejci made the decision last offseason to rejoin the Boston Bruins for the 2022-23 campaign following a year away from the organization.
While the veteran center was happy to be back on a team that went on to rewrite the NHL record books, it was a trying season behind the scenes for Krejci.
Krejci spent the season away from his wife and two children, who were in South Carolina, according to NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin, which weighed on him. Krjeci even seemed to have a mid-season exit strategy in place if things got especially rocky.
“I think it was one of the best years, but also one of the worst years,” Krejci said Tuesday during exit interview day at Warrior Ice Arena. “It was a rollercoaster. There were a few times this year there was a point if we were not doing good, I’d just pack it up, go back. So, from that standpoint it was tough. But then coming here every day, seeing the guys, it just made it worth it.”
The 37-year-old Krejci, who totaled 16 goals and 40 assists for 56 points in 70 regular-season games, now has a decision in front of him, and one he plans on making in the very near future as he contemplates retiring or rejoining the Bruins for a 17th season.
Looking back on the season was difficult for Krejci, though, especially given the way it ended with a crushing Game 7 loss on home ice in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs to the Florida Panthers. Krejci even went as far as to compare it to Boston’s Game 7 defeat in the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals. And he’ll have to carry that into the offseason and possibly into retirement as well.
“Great season. Tough, tough ending and it’s tough to judge it, right?” Krjeci said. “Get into more details now. It still hurts just even talking about it. Obviously, you’re proud. Sixty-five wins, that’s a lot. Our names are always going to be right next to the record. I guess that’s the positive you can take out of this. We were all planning on playing until mid-June and we’re not. So, it’s not like it’s disappointing it just really, really hurts differently than the other losses.”
