All stats courtesy of hockeyreference.com.
My next player profile is on forward David Pastrnak! Pastrnak appeared in 66 games for the Bruins last season, in which he produced 38 goals and 43 assists. He then played in all 24 of the team’s playoff games on their run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, through which he tallied nine goals and ten assists. Drafted 25th overall of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Pastrnak has appeared in 320 career NHL games, over which he has recorded 132 goals and 152 assists. The 23-year-old right wing has only played for the Bruins organization over his five season NHL and professional career.
Pastrnak is an already elite (and I don’t use that word lightly) winger in the league, and he only continues to improve. He produced at a 1.23 points per game rate which is incredible, and had he not injured his thumb and missed significant time, he easily would’ve had over 40 goals and 100 points. He’s also on an unbelievably team-friendly deal, with just an approximately $6.67 million cap hit for the next four seasons. He slowed down in the playoffs and was frustrating to watch at times, but he was also playing through a hand injury and still managed to (relatively quietly) put up 19 points, which is a 0.79 points per game rate. Also, the whole line slowed down considerably, so we can’t just blame it on him. That being said, it would’ve been really nice if he’d been more consistent during the playoffs, but that will come with time and like I said, he was playing through a hand injury which clearly affected him. But overall, he had a really strong season. He’s an incredibly creative player with great hands and a bomb of a one-timer and overall great shot, and he’s also a great skater. He’s known for making something out of nothing and he makes opposing players look foolish sometimes because of it, and his hockey sense is off the charts. To think he’s only going to improve from here is exciting, and he’s sure to continue to be a really fun player to watch for a long time.
As for what we can expect out of Pastrnak next season, like I said, he’ll only continue to improve from here. If he stays healthy and plays in all 82 games or at least close to it, he’ll surely put up 40, if not 50 goals, and at least 100 points. He’ll most likely stay part of one of the best, if not the best line in hockey, but there’s a chance the Bruins decide to put a rookie in that spot and move him to David Krejci’s right wing, with whom he has developed great chemistry. However, head coach Bruce Cassidy wasn’t particularly keen to do that full-time last season as he didn’t like breaking up something that was as good as that line was, which is completely understandable, and I don’t think that’ll be any different this season. But, he is known for switching things up mid-game if it isn’t going well, so Pastrnak will probably play with Krejci from time to time, just not on a full-time basis. Regardless of his point totals and who he plays with though, he’ll still be an elite and unbelievably creative player, and just a lot of fun to watch in general. It truly is very exciting to think about just how good he’ll get considering how good he is already, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see just how much he improves this season.
Hockey Addict 