The end for Patrice Bergeron?

The Boston Bruins failed to overcome their first round Stanley Cup playoff opponents the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night and as a result their season has now officially come to an end. There will no doubt be a ton of fallout as a result of the Bruins early playoff exit this season, but everyone's immediate thoughts appear to be on the future of Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron.

Bergeron, one of the most universally respected players in the entire National Hockey League, has been linked to rumors of a potential retirement at the end of this current season and his actions following the conclusion of Game 7 appear to have poured gasoline on to the fire.

Following the conclusion of Game 7, Bergeron participated in the traditional handshake line alongside all of his Bruins teammates. He would also go out of his way to shake hands with all of the NHL officials that were on the ice at the time before appearing to give his Bruins teammates a personalized send off as they headed into the Bruins locker room.

As each one of his teammates stepped off the ice, Bergeron embraced them in a hug and said a few words to them before letting them walk on into the locker room. No one knows what was said to each player or why Bergeron went out of his way to express his love for each of his teammates following the conclusion of the game, but many are already speculating that it could have been a sort of farewell.

Here is a look at the replay of Bergeron saying goodbye to all of his teammates following the conclusion of Saturday's Game 7:

Perhaps the embraces are a bit more lengthy than usual but this isn't anything that Bergeron hasn't done in the past, and I personally wouldn't read too much into Bergeron's post game actions just yet. Bergeron will no doubt speak to the media following the loss and in the coming days as the Bruins wrap up their season, and we will likely have a clearer picture of where his future is going then.