(Boston) It’s not a question of if, but of when. The Boston Bruins will retire Patrice Bergeron’s number 37, club president Cam Neely has confirmed.

“Without a shadow of a doubt,” hammered the one whose number 8 hangs from the ceiling of TD Garden.

It is still too early to say how much the Bruins will pay tribute to Bergeron. Neely promises, however, that the retirement of his jersey is “fully deserved” given the “place among the greatest” that the Quebecer has taken in the history of the team.

“We’ll find the right time,” the manager assured.

A man of few words, Neely was overwhelmed with compliments to his captain. He notably praised his intelligence on the ice, referring to a “gift”.

Neely admitted to having tried to convince Bergeron to play one more season. General manager Don Sweeney too, apparently. “We gave him time to make his decision,” he qualified. He would like to keep him in the fold of the organization one way or another, although he recognizes the importance for him, “like most athletes”, of taking a step back.

Bergeron’s retirement also confirms that the Bruins have a real problem at center. If, as you might expect, David Krejci also puts an end to his career, Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle find themselves by default at the top of the organization chart in this position.

Neely recognizes the lack of depth his team faces today. “We try to be competitive every year and trade good draft picks, so it gets harder to find [good centers] in the later rounds. But we focus on that. We are going to do everything we can to improve in this position. »

It won’t be easy, however, as the Bruins only have $5.4 million in salary cap space and goaltender Jeremy Swayman is still out of contract. The team also has no first-, second-, or third-round picks in 2024 or second- and fourth-round picks in 2025.

Has the hour of decline finally come for the Bear Cubs? That would be a hasty conclusion, given this team’s seemingly endless ability to get out of trouble. The challenges, however, are very real.