David Pastrnak talks Bruins' return to ice, Hart Trophy candidacy & more

In the coming weeks, David Pastrnak plans to make the overseas trek from Prague to Boston — where the dynamic forward will join his teammates back on the sheet at Warrior Ice Arena for the first time in months. 

As for the first thing the 24-year-old winger plans on doing when he returns stateside?

"I don’t know. Get tested for COVID?” Pastrnak quipped.

During a year in which most of the world has been turned on its head — it’s reassuring to know that the B’s top goal scorer still hasn’t lost his sense of humor.

Speaking for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign grinded to a halt, the 24-year-old winger shed some light on a number of topics — including Boston's hopes for a Cup title, his candidacy for the Hart Trophy and much more. 

While plenty of his teammates are either already on the ice in Brighton or planning on taking part in Phase 2 of the NHL’s return shortly, Pastrnak has not put down a set timeline for his return to the organization — but added that he expects to rejoin the club before Phase 3 (official, full-squad training camp) ramps up on July 10.

"To be honest, I haven't got that far yet," Pastrnak said of when he expects to travel back to Boston. "But for sure, I would probably try to come a little bit before training camp, mostly to get more on-ice sessions and some practices with the boys. So I do not have the exact date for you, but it's gonna be pretty soon."

Still, even if he’s currently 3,800 miles from a majority of his teammates, Pastrnak has remained active — skating two times a week and working out 5-6 times a week since returning to Prague. Pastrnak has managed to keep his conditioning up by playing both soccer and tennis, while his weekly on-ice work and scrimmages features around 10 other NHLers, as well as retired stars such as Patrik Eliáš. 

"I pretty much leave the house at 10 a.m. and come back for dinner," Pastrnak said of his regular routine. 

Unlike clubs like the Lightning, Penguins and Hurricanes that are expected to return key cogs from major injuries due to the extended break, the Bruins have managed to relatively steer clear of the injury bug this season — with Don Sweeney noting on Friday that Boston expects every player except Kevan Miller (knee) will be given the green light to play once the 2019-20 campaign resumes. 

Still, even if Pastrnak was able to play in all 70 of Boston’s games this season, he was quick to note that the extended time off allowed him and countless other players to recover from the inevitable bumps and bruises that come with a grueling NHL season.

"The biggest benefit is you rest up," Pastrnak said.  "You got a little bit of time away from the rink, obviously a little bit longer than everybody wanted. But I'm just so excited to come back and I can't wait to be playing hockey games again. The situation is what it is. But the biggest benefit is that you come in and you are well-rested and spent some time with the family back home or wherever it was — so you're excited and healthy."

Even with Boston's standing as the reigning Presidents' Trophy winner, the road back to the Stanley Cup will be anything but easy for the Bruins in this new 24-team free-for-all — starting with a round-robin tournament against the other big dogs in the East in the Lightning, Capitals and Flyers.

Months away from the rink might necessitate the need for weeks of on-ice work to shake the rust off, but the competitive drive from this Bruins club to rewrite last year's narrative clearly hasn't been dulled during this stoppage.

"It's a huge motivation," Pastrnak said of the resumption of games. "Last season was an unbelievable experience for me. I don't think I would be where I'm at without last year. Obviously we had a great season that we played and I think we were a better team than last year. So we'll see — we need to get back to work. ... It's really exciting and I can't wait to start the playoffs. The playoffs are the best part of hockey, so I'm happy to be finishing it."

Here are a couple of additional highlights from Monday’s video conference

Pastrnak vouches for another Hart Trophy candidate: With 48 goals and 95 points on the season, Pastrnak figures to be in the conversation for the Hart Trophy — handed out annually to the league's MVP. Last week, we gave the B's winger a 50/50 shot at earning a finalist nod for the accolade, putting him in the mix with other stars like Leon Draisaitl, Nathan MacKinnon and Artemi Panarin.

But if you ask Pastrnak, it's not much of debate when it comes to determining the most valuable player in the league this season.

"For me, it's absolutely no question. For me, what Leon Draisaitl was showing the whole season and you know, a lot of people say, 'Oh, he's playing with Connor (McDavid) and stuff.' Connor was hurt for a month or two and, you know, he brought it up (another level). So, for me, it's absolutely no question — it's gonna be and it should be Leon Draisaitl, because of the way he played this year."

While Pastrnak's argument is valid, given Draisaitl's absurd offensive production this season (110 points in 71 games), don't be surprised if Panarin puts himself in the conversation — thanks to his stellar play during 5v5 action (a league-leading 59 5v5 points) and role in driving New York's offense — with other top forwards in Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad usually skating on another line.

Pastrnak comes up just short of milestones: Even with the ‘Rocket’ Richard Trophy secured as the league's top goal scorer this season (alongside co-winner Alex Ovechkin), Pastrnak did admit that coming up just short of 50 goals was a tough pill to swallow — especially after his last attempt in 2018-19 was hampered by a thumb injury in February 2019.

But for Pastrnak, who's developed into one of the NHL's elite snipers over the last few seasons, most of the consternation was at another column of the box score.

"To be honest. It's a little sad, but at the same time, I was actually more mad about (missing out on) 100 points," Pastrnak said. "But overall it was a good season. Sometimes things in the world happen that you can't control and that's what happened. For me, I'm really happy and I felt good the whole season and I'm playing with a great team, teammates and linemates that that I can learn from every single day. That's a big part of what I'm focusing on is a guy like Bergy (Patrice Bergeron)  being my mentor every single day in the locker room and on the ice. ... Without them, I wouldn't be where I'm at."