Boston Bruins: Updates on Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak

Will Boston Bruins’ all-star wingers Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak be ready for the Jan. 14 season opener after both received offseason surgeries?

After a disappointing postseason run that saw the Boston Bruins get eliminated in just the second round of the 2019-20 Stanley Cup Playoffs despite winning the President’s Trophy, wingers Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak both received offseason surgeries for different reasons.

Marchand received surgery on Sept. 14 to repair a sports hernia. With an expected recovery time of four months, this puts Marchy at a mid-January return date, which is when the 2021 season will start.

It actually turns out that Marchand had been playing through this sports hernia for years now and this surgery had been long overdue. Marchy admitted in a Zoom call on Monday, Jan. 4, that the injury had been bugging him for the past “two and a half years” and also said, “I haven’t been able to sprint or run in years.”

In this Zoom call, Marchand was also asked if he will be ready for the season opener. His response: “I plan to be. That’s what we’re shooting for.”

So with that, Marchand seems to be on track to play in the B’s season opener against the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 14. This is the best-case scenario for Boston as they won’t have to go an extended period of time without both Marchand and Pastrnak.

In regard to Pastrnak however, we’ll have to wait a bit before we see him play in 2021.

Pasta received two surgeries in the offseason, one to repair a labral issue and another that was an arthroscopy on his right hip. These procedures were completed on Sept. 16 and have an estimated recovery time of five months, giving Pastrnak an expected return date of mid-February.

While Pasta was officially ruled out for the Black and Gold’s season opener, there was some good news.

In an interview with Head Coach Bruce Cassidy, Cassidy stated that Pasta is “a little bit ahead of that” in regard to his recovery schedule. However, when asked how far ahead, Cassidy replied with, “It’s too early for me to speculate” and “We’ve still got a ways to go. Let’s get through January and see where he’s at.”

So as of yesterday, Pasta is ahead of his recovery schedule and could be back earlier than expected. Just how much earlier? That is still unknown.

For both Marchand and Pastrnak, the Bruins cannot rush back either. They are both too important to the B’s now and to the future of the team to bring back to early and have them aggravate and re-injure themselves.