NHL fans weren't the only ones sweating in the weeks leading up to July 1 - the day superstar center John Tavares would decide on where to sign in free agency.
David Krejci also felt the heat.
The 32-year-old occupies the Boston Bruins' second-line center position behind Patrice Bergeron, so when the Bruins emerged as one of five teams in the mix to sign Tavares - who ultimately joined the Toronto Maple Leafs instead - Krejci worried about his own future in Boston.
"I had no idea what was going on. My agent didn't tell me (anything) because he said he didn't know anything. I didn't get any phone calls from anyone from the Bruins," Krejci told NBC Sports Boston's Joe Haggerty. "So I was just getting those Instragram messages (telling me to request a trade) in my inbox. I know that I have a no-trade (clause) so they would have to call me (if they did end up signing Tavares).
"Yeah, that wasn't kind of something I enjoyed. But it was over pretty quick. It was a quick couple of weeks. It is what it is."
With just under $3 million in cap space available, the Bruins would have needed to shed salary to sign Tavares. And with Krejci set to earn $7.25 million a year for the next three seasons (the most among all Bruins players), he would have been a likely candidate to move elsewhere, or to drop down to the third line.
Instead, Krejci can now turn his attention to the upcoming season as he prepares to play a key role for the Bruins. He also holds nothing against his club's management for trying to sign Tavares.
"I understand that it's the hockey business that you have to do whatever you have to do to make the hockey team better," Krejci said.
"Obviously I don’t want to go anywhere. But (Bruins GM) Donnie (Sweeney) has got to do what he's got to do. (Hockey is a business) is what I've learned over the years. I love being here and I've got three years left, so for me it was just about getting ready to be the best player I can be. I'm still young and I feel like I still have some of my best years in front of me. Maybe not 70 or 80 points production-wise, but maybe more of a complete player and helping out the young guys grow."
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