By: Danielle DuBois | Follow Me on Twitter @DanielleDuBois
The Bruins have had a historic season this year, and part of their success is credited to right-winger David Pastrnak. This season, Pastrnak scored 42 goals and 38 assists for 80 points. Considering Pastrnak’s success this season, many Bruins fans anxiously await a contract extension. After all, there is a chance that Don Sweeney and Cam Neely let Pastrnak go.
With the possibility of Pastrnak leaving the Bruins, let’s discuss what the Bruins’ season would look like without his presence. The Bruins’ top point scorer would be Brad Marchand, with 53 points. Without Pastrnak’s seven game-winning goals and two overtime goals, The Bruins would most likely hold a record of 39-14-7. With that record, the Bruins would move down to the second-best team in the league. While that doesn’t sound like a big difference, it’s important to note how he single-handedly would change the record of the Bruins.
Another thing I have to mention is how prominent Pastrnak is on the power play. This season Pastrnak has had 14 power-play goals. Currently, the Bruins have the eighth-best power play in the league. Yes, the Bruins have a great power play line, but let’s be honest, the Bruins are ranking in the top 10 because of Pastrnak leading the way.
It’s safe to say that David Pastrnak has been an impactful piece to this Bruins team. So why haven’t the Bruins re-signed the 26-year-old? I don’t have a direct answer, but we can conspire.
One possibility is that Neely and Sweeney want to see if they can win the Stanley Cup first before extending Pastrnak. If the Bruins organization can win a cup this season, they most likely wouldn’t want to spend more money on a player after the fact. The main goal of a general manager or president is to win a cup. They would highly consider it if there’s a way to get that done without dropping $12 million a season on Pastrnak.
Another possibility is that they haven’t agreed with Pastrnak and his agent. This is the most likely case. The Boston Bruins seem to have a lot of love for Pastrnak, and we all know Pastrnak loves Boston back. While Pastrnak loves the city and the team, he also knows what he’s worth. He doesn’t want to compromise his paycheck to stay here when teams are lined up to sign him on a significant contract. Since the new year, we have heard a lot of positive feedback saying that Pastrnak and the Bruins are close to a contract extension; however, it will cost Boston more than they originally planned.
As time passes, fans worry more about their favorite Czech leaving the team. Bruins fans are hoping that a contract is signed before the playoffs. Despite the constant turnovers, Pastrnak is a vital part of the Bruins’ success, and we wouldn’t want to get rid of that.
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