By: Tom Calautti | Follow me on Twitter @TCalauttis
As Bob Dylan famously said in his 1964 hit, ‘The Times They Are A-Changin.’ That sentiment is especially true for the Boston Bruins as they look to usher in a new era of leadership for the 2025-36 season.
General Manager Don Sweeney took less than an hour to gut most of his leadership core during the March 7 trade deadline. Captain Brad Marchand and Boston stalwarts Charlie Coyle and Brandon Carlo were shipped out the door in exchange for a slew of draft picks, prospects, and players as the team waived the metaphorical white flag on their season.
With Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm on the shelf nursing injuries, the team’s leadership mantle was vacant save for one Bruin: David Pastrnak. What transpired over the following weeks and months was a metamorphosis of sorts, the evolution of a man from franchise face and star to leader and potential captain.
With the roster gutted and the season spilling down the drain, Pastrnak was expected to step up and become the beacon this team needed. According to his teammates and coaches, he did that and then some.
“Yeah, no, he’s been awesome. I mean, he’s a really vocal guy. He’s really passionate, he cares, you know,” said newcomer Nikita Zadorov about Pastrnak. “And that’s what you want to see from the guys like that. When you go on the ice, you go to battle with him; you know he’s going to die for you. He’s a big part of this team, and he’s a big part of the future.”
Pastrnak has always been a leading presence on the ice. Anyone who can score 40 goals and register 100 points is someone teammates will look to for guidance and leadership. But it isn’t just his on-ice play that impressed those around him; it was his presence in the locker room.
“I thought David [Pastrnak] was the best player in the NHL down the stretch…he was incredible,” said fellow co-captain Charlie McAvoy. “He led by example. He led by being, from what I’ve gathered, more vocal than he’s normally been. He did everything he could have possibly done to help this team, and he did it, and it was a joy to watch every night. I think he’s to be commended for the way that he handled himself post-deadline.
McAvoy continued, “So, yeah, I can’t say enough good things about what Pasta did for this team down the stretch.”
Pastrnak has already been a Hart Trophy candidate, a Rocket Richard winner, and a first-team winger. His accomplishments on the ice are undeniable. The next step in his development was always going to involve his leadership and maturity. If you ask his linemate, Morgan Geekie, it is clear that Pastrnak has taken that next step.
“I mean, you guys saw it firsthand. We saw it firsthand just, like you said, he kind of just took control of the room,” said Geekie following game 82 against New Jersey.” When you lose the caliber and the established guys that we did at the deadline, it’s never easy for anybody to grab the bull by the horns. But it’s exactly what he did.”
Geekie continued, “He brought everybody back and you saw the way he performed after that. And kind of dragged us all along with him… He’s an unbelievable guy. It’s been awesome to play with him this year…and as a leader, he’s just starting to grow and grow. So, it’s awesome to see him take that next step.”
Pastrnak had the privilege of watching some of the best leaders in Bruins history as he developed into the player he is today. Whether that be Zdeno Chara or Patrice Bergeron, he’s seen the best of the best set a locker room culture, and that blueprint will be crucial for the future of this team.
“(Pastrnak) has had a lot of good people to look up to over the years,” said interim head coach Joe Sacco. “Starting with Zdeno Chara, and you go down to (Bergeron), (Krejci), and (Marchand). All those guys are really good examples, and I’m sure he’s been observant when he was a young player and watching those guys.”
Chara’s culture, which he initiated when he joined the organization, has been lauded since its inception, and Pastrnak knows that maintaining it will be crucial to the organization’s future success.
“Listen, it’s like I said (about) the leaders I had around me. It was never about who wears the “C” or who wears the “A,” everybody in the room is equal here,” said Pastrnak during Wednesday’s ‘break-up day’ media scrum. “It’s not about one guy; it’s going to be multiple of us. We need to be working together, it doesn’t matter who’s going to end up wearing any letter, but it starts with the group, and everybody’s equal here, no matter if you’re young or older, and that’s what it’s always been like, and we have to keep it going.”
All eyes will be on management as they decide who will be the next captain of the Boston Bruins. Pastrnak knows where he stands within the organization and what he and his fellow locker room leaders must do to get this program back on track.
“I’m confident enough to be one of the leaders and lead the team…And moving forward, we still have a good (core). We obviously have a lot of work to do ahead, and we will put the time together and make sure we become and be a much, much better Boston Bruins team this year.”
Pastrnak has handled being thrust into the spotlight and becoming the de facto captain with poise and aplomb. It’s unclear which way management is leaning in their decision on who will wear the “C” next, but it’s evident that from now on, the Boston Bruins will be led by David Pastrnak.
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