Patrice Bergeron’s decision to either suit up for a 19th season or ride off into the sunset will be the ultimate determinant for which path Don Sweeney and the Bruins take in what projects to be a franchise-augmenting summer.
But the domino that might determine just how extreme the measures are that Sweeney and the B’s must take is David Pastrnak and his future beyond the 2022-23 season.
Since inking a six-year, $40 million contract with the Bruins back in 2017, Pastrnak has thrived as a franchise cornerstone for the Bruins — and one of the best bargains in the NHL. After putting pen to paper midway through that training camp, Pastrnak has logged 338 games with the Bruins, scoring 181 goals during that stretch and racking up 381 points.
Starting in 2023, Pastrnak will surely no longer skirt by as an underpaid asset in the NHL. But the Bruins are still hoping that the 26-year-old winger is entrenched in Boston as a foundational piece in the post-Bergeron era.
The Bruins will need to wait for the league calendar to flip over on July 13 to start hammering out details on a new deal with Pastrnak and his agent, JP Barry. But in a busy offseason for Boston’s top brass, bridging the gap with Pastrnak and Barry should stand near the top of the to-do list for Sweeney.
“I’ve said all along that I will attack that one as I have with all of our players that we’ve looked to go longer term on right away," Sweeney said Tuesday of contract talks with Pastrnak. "We’ll see where it goes. David has a decision to make in that same vein. He might be sitting back and balancing the same way with it, whether it’s Patrice or anybody else we’re adding. Those conversations will come to light, and we’ll have to make a decision based on the information I get.”
Even if the Bruins don’t get Pastrnak to dot the i’s and cross the t’s on a new deal this summer, the B's absolutely need to get a definitive read on the star winger’s thinking ahead of what could be a lucrative payday the following offseason.
Despite reports surfacing on Tuesday that Pastrnak — sour after Boston’s handling of other stars that left the nest in Torey Krug and David Krejci— would have no interest in re-upping with the B’s so long as Sweeney is the helm, Barry pushed back on such a notion in a response to Steve Conroy of The Boston Herald.
Pastrnak agent JP Barry on Athletic report: “I spoke with Don and David this morning and we don’t know where this report emanated from. We both have a solid relationship with Don and the plan hasn’t changed one bit. We will sit down in July and begin extension negotiations.”
— steve conroy (@conroyherald) June 8, 2022
For all of the doom and gloom emanating from Bruins fans these days (and believe me, a lot of it is very warranted), concerns over Pastrnak’s potential departure (either in free agency or in a blockbuster trade this summer) should be only viewed as a nuclear, worst-case scenario — rather than an inevitable hurdle that the Bruins must clear.
Yes, if the Bruins embrace a significant roster overhaul this summer if Bergeron doesn’t return, dealing Pastrnak would stand as a pretty easy avenue to recoup premier draft capital and add a few young NHL assets in short order.
Perhaps you can give the Devils a ring and see if the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft is up for grabs, along with another pick or perhaps even a premier youngster like a Dawson Mercer. It’s tempting, perhaps, if one was to embrace a scorched-earth policy in terms of this roster rebuild.
But if that scenario was to come to pass, it means that something has gone terribly wrong over these next few weeks.
In a perfect rebuilding scenario, yes, the Bruins do indeed dismantle a hefty portion of this roster — moving expiring contracts and exploring deals for players who could net solid returns like Taylor Hall (if he wants to waive his no-movement clauses) and Jake DeBrusk.
But Pastrnak shouldn’t be lumped into that same category if a fire-sale does take place, nor does that seem to be the Bruins’ objective if hard choices must be made with the rest of the roster.
In that aforementioned rebuilding scenario, the Bruins clear cap space, let injured players lick their wounds and take a dive in the standings. And if that results in a solid haul of draft picks (including a top-10 pick in 2023), you already have a solid core in place to build around with players like Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm (having just signed an eight-year contract), Jeremy Swayman and Pastrnak.
Snipers that you can pencil in for 40+ goals year in and year out certainly don’t grow on trees. As such, the Bruins should be looking at moving just about everyone except Pastrnak and the other pillars of that young core. And frankly, even if this organization didn’t expect things to bottom out quite this fast, you still don’t trade for Lindholm AND sign him to a long-term deal if you’re also seriously considering moving Pastrnak just a few months later.
(And as we stressed on Tuesday, do you really want this current management staff to be making that call on a Pastrnak trade — a deal that you NEED to hit a home run on?)
IF Pastrnak does get moved, the only rationale behind that is Pastrnak simply rebuffing the B’s, due to either the fears of wasting his prime through a few lean years or perhaps just the allure of a massive payday.
But up to this point, there hasn’t been an awful lot of smoke linking Pastrnak to any discourse with the only NHL franchise he’s ever played for.
Even without his buddies in Krug and Krejci, Pastrnak has enjoyed his time in this market — and has relished the opportunity to serve as part of the next wave of leaders in the room alongside players like McAvoy and Brandon Carlo.
And while Pastrnak will almost certainly get a significant bump in his profits in 2023 (be it from the Bruins or another team), this is also the same guy who has stressed on multiple occasions that he doesn’t “play hockey for the money.”
It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for Pastrnak to sign an eight-year deal with Boston with an AAV around $9 million. It’d be a significant financial commitment, no doubt. But a hometown discount, nonetheless, considering that he’d easily net $10-11 million per year on the open market.
The most daunting objective for the Bruins will be pitching Pastrnak on a fruitful path moving forward. It’s a task that’s easier said than done.
But if Boston can map out a plan in which Pastrnak can help anchor an Original Six franchise with McAvoy — with plenty of freed-up cap space and an influx of top-flight prospects on the horizon (if they commit to a miserable 2022-23 season), the B’s stand a good chance of locking their top scorer in place for the foreseeable future.
In an offseason that has already gone sideways for the Bruins, no player should be tabbed as “safe”.
But if Pastrnak is donning another sweater this fall, something has gone catastrophically wrong.