One of the key questions pressing the Boston Bruins last summer was whether or not longtime veteran forward Patrice Bergeron would return for another season wearing the black and yellow, the only NHL colors that he's ever worn. He would eventually make the call to return to the team, but that wasn't the only valuable veteran presence on the roster electing to come back for one last go of it.
Forward David Krejci, who didn't play in the NHL last season after opting to instead return home to play in his native Czechia, announced his return to the Bruins with a one year contract.
But thanks to both players being on Boston's roster this season, the Bruins will be facing a financial penalty to the tune of $4.5 million.
The reasoning, viaPuck Empire:
"This is due to the performance bonus overages stemming from their contracts. With Bergeron and Krejci eligible to sign particular types of contracts reserved for players 35 or older, they’re also eligible to receive performance bonuses in their contract that are not incorporated into the cap hit of the deal. It operates in the same way as an entry-level contract, where rookies can earn millions of dollars per season based on their performance despite a six-figure cap hit.
That’s exactly what they did, with Bergeron’s contract entitling him to up to $2.5MM in bonuses, while Krejčí was eligible for up to $2MM. Thanks to Boston’s record-breaking season and subsequent playoff appearance, both players hit every benchmark required to receive all of their bonuses.
Unfortunately, since Boston used long-term injured reserve to stay cap compliant, they weren’t able to accommodate Bergeron and Krejci's performance bonuses under the cap at the end of the regular season. It means Boston, along with 14 other NHL teams (albeit with much smaller amounts), will have a cap charge next season equivalent to the amount of performance bonuses earned that the team couldn’t fit under the cap at the end of the season."
Well, live and learn.
