RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – MAY 14: Patrice Bergeron #37 of the Boston Bruins looks on in Game Seven of the First Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena on May 14, 2022 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Patrice Bergeron is back for another year.

As announced via Twitter and their official website Monday morning, the Bruins have agreed to a one-year contract with their captain, after months of uncertainty following the end of their 2022 playoff run. The deal is for $2.5 million with an additional $2.5M in performance-based incentives.

Bergeron will now play a 19th NHL season, which of course have all been with the Bruins. He’s up to 1,214 career NHL games and is coming off his record fifth Frank J. Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward.

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The news isn’t terribly surprising for those plugged into the Bruins organization. The Sports Hub’s own Ty Anderson said in the most recent episode of the Sports Hub Underground podcast that he was confident enough to say definitively that Bergeron would be back.

It was simply a matter of doing the financial math. Ty and I discussed in a prior episode of “Underground,” however, how they could fit both Bergeron and David Krejci into their cap while also figuring out an extension for David Pastrnak. We believed that Pastrnak would be the first domino to fall, and that they’d be able to figure out Bergeron and Krejci from there.

So, it’s curious that the Bergeron news dropped first. It’s quite possible that they’ve settled on an AAV for Pastrnak’s extension, which wouldn’t kick in until the 2023-24 season. Or at least a range that they’re comfortable with, that allowed them to hammer out the details of Bergeron’s contract.

But to be certain, the Bruins still intend on finalizing the Pastrnak extension. Krejci, then, is really the only question mark remaining. The Bruins have to do some creative accounting with both him and Bergeron in order to stay under the limit of “overages,” which are a limited amount of money that teams are able to go over the cap with incentives. The Bruins want to avoid incurring cap penalties related to that.

Aug 23, 2020; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak (88) celebrates with center David Krejci (46) and center Patrice Bergeron (37) after scoring a goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the second period in game one of the second round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

We’ll be sure to keep you covered with everything Bruins, all year round, here at 985TheSportsHub.com. Now that the Bergeron deal is done, perhaps Pastrnak and Krejci are soon to follow. Click here for complete Boston Bruins coverage.

Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @realmattdolloff. You can also email him at [email protected].