An eventful week of NHL activity, beginning with the opening of free agency on July 28, came to a head on July 30, when Boston Bruins veteran center David Krejci announced Friday that he was returning to his native Czech Republic.
His decision has created a significant weakness in Boston’s forward lineup, and one that is not easily addressed in the immediate aftermath of Krejci making his departure official. Contrary to what had been reported in this space about his decision to extend his time in the NHL, we know now that he apparently was leaning toward an exit, leaving Boston GM Don Sweeney without a lot of time to develop a fallback plan.
There is still room for the second-line center vacancy to be filled via trade, but New England Hockey Journal will look at several options to at least address the situation in-house.
The Bruins will have their prospects development camp next week at the Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton, Mass. While it is not open to the public, we’ll preview some of the camp invites and provide coverage of the on-ice sessions next week.
