In the waking hours of Friday morning, the Boston Bruins announced a three-year extension for forward Patrice Bergeron, who had been set to become a free agent at the end of this season.
The Quebec-born center's will now be a member of the Bruins through the 2013-14 season. He has played 376 regular season games through six seasons, despite missing much of the 2007-08 season with a serious concussion. Bergeron led the team in scoring last season with 52 points, tied with David Krejci.
The 25-year-old Bergeron has been on a tear of late during the Bruins pre-season. On Tuesday, he scored five points in the team's final preseason game against the Liberec White Tigers, a Czech professional team.
Financial terms of Bergeron's new deal will not be officially disclosed by the Bruins, but WEEI's DJ Bean is reporting that the deal will be worth $15 million, with $5 million annually counting against the team's salary cap.