Boston Bruins: David Pastrnak No Longer Feels Pain In Foot
Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Boston Bruins: David Pastrnak No Longer Feels Pain In Foot After Missing 18 Games
David Pastrnak has missed the last 18 games for the Boston Bruins with an injured foot and it’s unclear how much longer he’ll remain out of the lineup for. “No timeline yet on him,” head coach Claude Julien said “Whatever we do with him will be up to upper management.” Pastrnak suffered his foot injury against the Arizona Coyotes on October 27th in a game that the Bruins dominated with a score of 6-0. The injury was eventually revealed to be a fractured foot by general manager Don Sweeney. “Things changed a little bit,” Sweeney said “The initial X-rays were normal. We waited for swelling to go down. The symptoms were still persisting, so we went to a have a more definitive CT scan. And it did reveal a small, non-displaced crack in an awkward location, so we have to give him some time.” Pastrnak ended up playing in both of the the Bruins games three and four days later respectively against the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bruins won both games by an identical score of 3-1, however, Pastrnak has been sidelined every since.
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Pastrnak spoke publicly about his injury for the first time since returning to practice and he said that he felt “no pain” in his foot anymore, but his timetable for return isn’t clear. “It was, I think, seen weeks because it wasn’t a good injury,” the 19-year-old said. “(it was) better to take more time and get it fully healthy, and then get the quick(ness) back. And I’m going to miss another game, so we’re taking it slowly. And like I said, it’s nice to get back on the ice.” Even though Pastrnak was simply skating and taking line rushes alongside Tyler Randell, it’s still a significant improvement on the walking boot he was seen wearing for a few weeks.
When asked about conditioning, Pastrnak confirmed that it has become his toughest obstacle to overcome for his eventual return. “Definitely,” Pastrnak said. “Like I said, it was seven weeks. I was on the bike and stuff, but nothing compares to skating. It’s hard, obviously, but I’ve been skating for a week now. Like I said, there’s no timetable. (I’m going to) take it slowly and practice hard every day.” It will be wise of the Bruins to keep their blossoming young winger out of the lineup for as long as he needs to get back to 100%, especially given their depth at the forward position as well as their recent success.
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Pastrnak is expected to undergo a conditioning sting in Providence of the AHL before he returns to the big club, but he made it clear that he was open to doing anything the team asked of him. “That’s not a question for me,” he said. “It’s more for the organization. I’m happy to be in this organization, and whatever they want me to do, I will have to do.” Pastrnak has always been a fun-loving, and easy-going guy, and his willingness to follow whatever path the Bruins request of him is a good sign for the future. The Boston Bruins are a team that rely heavily on versatility of players, whether it be players who can play multiple positions, or contribute on the penalty kill or power play. With versatility comes change, and the Bruins often shuffle lines and place natural centers on the wing, or wingers on their off-wing to try and spark some sort of connection; the Bruins have been lucky in recent years to find players who are willing to do whatever it takes to succeed. David Pastrnak seems to have picked up this mindset very early on, which speaks miles about the young 19 year old wingers development so far.
Pastrnak described the entire process of being injured and recovering as lonely, and understandably so.”(Being injured) sucked most of the time,” Pastrnak said. “I called my mom. The biggest key was to get back with my brother and sisters and stuff. That’s pretty much what I did, especially the couple of times when guys were on the road. A couple times (I went to Providence to see a couple of guys. It’s hard to kill all the time, but I’m happy to be back on the ice.” Pastrnak’s family remains in the Czech Republic, and for a 19 year old player, it can get overwhelming to be left alone for so long. “Especially for guys who don’t have families and stuff, they’re here by themselves,” Pastrnak said. “and when you are injured, you just think of how lonely hockey is. So, it’s tough to be injured. You love the team. You’re with them every day, so it’s kind of something nobody wants to be.” Hopefully Pastrnak will be able to return to full hockey operations and games soon, however, the Bruins are certainly not going to rush him back before he is absolutely ready.
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