Column: In the end, deal was a win for Bruins and Pastrnak

The anatomy of negotiations changes with each new contract and that was no different for the Bruins and David Pastrnak before the sides agreed on a six-year, $40-million with an average annual value of $6.67 million.

This is a solid deal for both sides.

The deal runs through 2022-23 with signing bonuses this season, in year four and year six. There’s also a limited no-trade clause. Pastrnak will only be 27 when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Negotiations were methodical. Bruins general manager Don Sweeney and Pastrnak’s agent, J.P. Barry, were in constant communication and were recently speaking on a daily basis. The two met last weekend while the Bruins were participating in the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo.

There was no real update early Wednesday evening, but the sides began to discuss contract structure later in the night until a deal was reached.

Sweeney made it a point to acknowledge both sides for getting this done before the start of camp.

“I’ve always said we were going to find a deal and it took time right up against it,” Sweeney said. “There wasn’t a deadline; we didn’t look at it that way. We had a strong level of communication and the work paid off for both sides to find a good landing spot and I know both sides are extremely happy to have it resolved and get the full complement of camp, which everybody would acknowledge is in the benefit of everybody’s interest.”

Sweeney admitted that the contract of Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl, who inked an eight-year deal worth $68 million, was one of a few comparables the organization considered. Other players included Predators’ Filip Forsberg (six years, $36 million), the Flames’ Sean Monahan, the Jets’ Mark Scheifele and the Flames’ Johnny Gaudreau.

Numbers will change prior to the start of the regular season, but Sweeney said the organization’s cap space is in good shape with just under $3 million available.

There are cases throughout pro sports when elite players receive massive contracts and then their production declines. That won’t be the case with Pastrnak. He’s a motivated player and the Bruins identified that at an early age.

Pastrnak left the Czech Republic at 15 to play pro hockey in Sweden in order to learn English because his goal was to play pro hockey in North America, hoping one day to play in the NHL.

“David is a big part of what we’re trying to build here and he’s a motivated player,” Sweeney said. “He made a hell of a jump last year. He’s earned the opportunity to be in the Top 5 (of players signing long-term deals from entry-level status) and we paid him accordingly. That’s a huge commitment from the organization.”

Pastrnak is scheduled to arrive in Boston on Friday night and will have his physical Saturday.

“It’s definitely great news,” said Patrice Bergeron. “I’m sure David’s excited to get back and not drag this thing any further and now we can all concentrate on camp and hockey and look forward.”

A season ago, Pastrnak improved his shot, speed and his ability to find open space on the ice. He’ll need to continue that moving forward, especially with opposing teams focusing on him more given his talent.

A dynamic player, Pastrnak finished with 34 goals and 36 assists for 70 points in 75 games last season.

“He loves hockey and it’s infectious for him to be on the ice and to be an impact player,” Sweeney said. “Obviously, he backed it up with the year he had.”

On the ice, it’s likely Pastrnak will play on David Krejci’s right side. Yes, Pastrnak had success with Bergeron and Brad Marchand last season, but Bruce Cassidy is one of those coaches that believe in solid offensive pairings, as opposed to a trio.

“We need to see how some of these other players mix in with the top-level skill, so we’ll do that in training camp to find chemistry,” Cassidy said. “I certainly envision Bergy and Marchy, and Krejci and David moving forward. That’s the plan and I don’t see why that would change.”

Signing Pastrnak to a long-term deal was a significant accomplishment for Sweeney and the Bruins and will pay dividends on the ice for a long time.