The Boston Bruins have one of the best lines in all of hockey. Two players tend to get most of the press, but the young gun on the line is playing like a man on a mission.
The Boston Bruins‘ top line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Pastrnak is one of the better lines in the entire NHL. For the past 8 years, Marchand and Bergeron have developed a level of on-ice chemistry that can’t be matched.
When the Bruins succeed in the nature they have this season, it’s usually Bergeron and Marchand who get a lot of the credit. But the dynamic duo has turned into a tremendous trio, and it’s time Pastrnak started getting his due recognition for his efforts.
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The story of the Bruins offseason was the Pastrnak free agency. Concerned loomed on Causeway that the Bruins organization was going to shoot themselves in the foot with another young star. After months of back-and-forth and a short time of missed training camp, the two sides agreed to a 6 year, $40 million deal. The Bruins locked up a star in the making for a lengthy term, and Pastrnak will come up for a new deal when he is 27 and in his prime. Talk about a win-win for player and organization.
This season in Boston
Speaking of winning, that seems to be all the Bruins have done since mid-November. The Bruins are 27-5-4 in their last 36 games, due in large part to the play of Pastrnak who has 33 points (10-23) in that span. But even with his steady and sometimes dominant play, he seems to be lost in the shadow of his linemates. Bergeron gets tons of press due to his amazing all-around game, and Marchand gets a ton of press for his…let’s say, less-admired qualities.
Now, obviously Bergeron and Marchand are important players to the team. When Bergeron missed the first chunk of the season, the Bruins seemed lost on the ice. Marchand currently is ranked #1 in the NHL in points per game, at 1.29, ahead of Hart trophy candidates Nikita Kucherov and Evgeni Malkin. Their impact on the team cannot be understated.
But that’s just it: Bergeron and Marchand have both missed time this season, 5 and 13 respectively. Pastrnak has played in all 55 games for the Bruins this season, and is putting up numbers that would surpass last year’s breakout season.
Pastrnak currently sits tied for 2nd on the team in points with Bergeron (behind Marchand) at 51, with 21 goals and 30 assists. Extrapolating those numbers out to an 82 game season, that would be 76 points, or 31 goals and 45 assists. This would be an increase over his 70 point season last year, with 34 goals and 36 assists.
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A possible 77 point season from a 21 year old forward only making $6.66 million for the next 6 years, playing on one of the best lines in hockey? Talk about the Bruins front office hitting a home run on that deal. But more importantly, let’s start talking more about Pastrnak. I know he has seen a decrease in his ice time as of late, and in last night’s game he was demoted in the lineup by Bruce Cassidy to get a bit of a message sent. But even with that, the kid deserves a lot of attention given what he’s done on the ice thus far, and it’s about time it’s given to him.