For the first time in a long time, David Pastrnak can finally just focus on hockey.
The 26-year-old winger is healthy entering his ninth season in the NHL ranks, another year removed from major hip surgery in the fall of 2020. And after a 2021-22 campaign in which both Pastrnak and his girlfriend, Rebecca Rohlsson, endured through heartbreaking tragedy, the Bruins forward finally feels at peace and re-energized upon his arrival at Warrior Ice Arena on Friday morning.
“I haven't had a normal summer in a couple of years,” Pastrnak said following his first skate of captains’ practice. “So my biggest thing was to get prepared for the season, physically-wise, mentally-wise. It hasn't been easy and the motivation this year was through the roof compared to the last couple of years — I had hip surgery and last year was tough. So, finally this summer, I've been able to work very hard and focus on my game and that was my main focus.”
At this stage of the preseason, Pastrnak isn’t thinking too far ahead when it comes to his goals for the 2022-23 season, beyond the obvious overarching objective of helping the only NHL club he’s ever played for hoist the Stanley Cup in June.
For the established sniper, the most pressing objective is getting back up to speed before the regular season gets underway, with that potent one-timer needed during the weeks in which Boston will be treading water due to the absences of Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk.
"It's always a matter if I stay healthy,” Pastrnak said of his confidence of putting forth another strong season this winter. “I know what I can do in this league when I'm 100% healthy. That's just my biggest focus. Injuries are part of the game and as I said, I had a great summer, healthy. So hopefully that will stick the whole season and I know what I can do when I'm healthy.”
The Bruins — who have seen their homegrown winger light the lamp 240 times since 2014 — are well-aware of what a motivated and healthy Pastrnak can do when he’s locked in, especially now that his fellow countryman in David Krejci will likely be anchoring his line.
It’s for that reason, of course, that the Bruins will be hoping to ink their star forward to a long-term, lucrative deal in the coming weeks, before he further elevates his stock by way of another 40+ goal season.
Pastrnak’s plans might be grounded in the present, but the affable forward is also aware of the looming endeavor on the horizon when it comes to bridging the gap on a contract with Boston.
And even though the hopes of this franchise in the post-Bergeron era likely rest on the assurance that Pastrnak is entrenched in the top-six unit in 2023 and beyond — Pastrnak isn’t fretting about the stakes involved with these discussions, nor is he expressing any doubt in terms of where he would like to play in the years ahead.
"Yeah, we love it here,” Pastrnak said when asked if his priority is to remain with the Bruins. “This is our home. This is where I became a man. Spent unbelieve years here with Rebecca and we are really happy here. But my focus, moving forward, is to be ready for Game 1. Obviously, gonna be missing some key players. And I know I have to be on my game from the get-go. So that's my biggest focus.”
As we’ve noted multiple times this offseason, the Bruins will be playing with fire if they can’t get Pastrnak to sign at the dotted line before the regular season gets underway.
From our NHL notebook back in August:
We all know what’s coming if Pastrnak doesn’t sign by the end of September.
He starts out the season with 12 goals in his first eight games? “Man, he’s going to be asking for EVEN MORE money now!”
He slumps out of the gate? “You know, maybe the B’s should wait a bit and see if he’ll sign for $7.5 million!” (lol)
The Bruins scuffle out of the gate, given their injuries? “Maybe the Bruins should just trade Pasta at the deadline!"
These are all totally plausible scenarios — both the potential twists and turns that come with a long NHL season, and the conversation pieces that yours truly doesn’t exactly want to write about this season.
The last thing the Bruins want to do is have any of these talking points dissected and discussed ad nauseam this season — especially given that Boston’s primary objective is to keep Pastrnak in place for years to come.
Even if Don Sweeney noted this summer that there wasn’t a strict deadline in terms of contract talks with Pastrnak and his representatives, an ongoing narrative regarding that pending UFA status doesn't help anyone, especially once points are up for grabs from mid-October to the middle of spring.
Of course, an equable personality like Pastrnak echoed Sweeney’s sentiments when it came to not worrying about getting a deal done during training camp, even though the writing seems to be on the wall that charting such a course will open the door for future headaches.
"We have still have the whole season to figure things out with Sweens," Pastrnak said. "There's been a couple of changes, we got a new coach. And obviously, a lot of guys are excited to get back to work. These things take time sometimes. I'm focusing to be ready and helping this team win, especially the beginning of the season when it's gonna be extremely tough on us. And we are going to be ready. We're going to be missing a couple of those players from our team. So that's on my mind.”
All things considered, the Bruins shouldn’t have much of an issue when it comes to paying Pastrnak his fair share in accordance with the league market. It’s been established for years now that the B’s remain committed to keeping an uber-skilled (and extremely marketable) star like Pastrnak here long-term, and Pastrnak has routinely praised the organization, this market and his teammates.
But for a player whose primary mission is to eventually lift Lord Stanley’s Cup, could Pastrnak express some hesitancy based on some lean years ahead once franchise stalwarts like Bergeron and Krejci hang up their skates?
“It's not really my job to look at what the team is gonna be in two, three years,” Pastrnak said of the future of the franchise. “I'm a player and I'm just gonna try my best to try and help the team win. I'm here to do my job and that's kind of what I'm thinking about and focusing on."
At this early stage of the preseason, Pastrnak’s contract status remains the lone loose end that has yet to be tied up for Sweeney and Co.
Pastrnak’s final decision will hold significant weight in terms of now only how the Bruins build for the future, but just how viable their contention hopes are for this season (if Pastrnak wants to go to market, Boston can’t have a potential Johnny Gaudreau situation on its hands).
But as both parties begin the often arduous process of crafting a new deal, Pastrnak once again stated the obvious.
His priority is to remain in a black-and-gold sweater for a long, long time. Now, it’s on the Bruins to give him and his representatives an offer too good to turn down.
"Yeah, of course,” Pastrnak said of wanting to remain in Boston. “This city is where I got the chance to become the player I am — become the human being I am. The Boston organization has been an unbelievable part of it. I came here as a kid and now I’m a man. I'm extremely happy. A lot of great memories. I love it here. It's an honor to wear this jersey."