Boston Bruins fans have seen what David Pastrnak can do for Morgan Geekie, and now they're left to wonder what he can do for someone else. Unfortunately for Geekie, the Pastrnak assist gravy train might be coming to an end if JJ Peterka claims his spot on the left wing opposite the Czech superstar, leaving only centers to reap the benefits.
First, if Peterka plays a full year with Pastrnak, I believe he'll have a career year, too. However, if Pastrnak and Peterka score as many goals as we project, whoever is the center of their line will be picking up a lot of doorstep tap-ins and secondary assists.
1. Pavel Zacha
It might be going out on a limb to say that Pavel Zacha can hit his career-high in points again after doing it in 2025-26 with 65 points. The 29-year-old has been steadily progressing toward 65 points, but last season did feel like his ceiling, despite playing with Casey Mittelstadt and Viktor Arvidsson instead of Pastrnak.
The ability to play with his fellow Czech to rekindle some of their past World Championship chemistry is a big reason why this could allow Zacha to eclipse 65 points. It felt like an easy fit to have them play together once Zacha joined the Bruins, but they have been on and off as coaches try to juggle the lines.
If Zacha does get his spot next to Pastrnak and plays with the first power-play unit, 65 points can be well within his reach.
2. Fraser Minten
Fraser Minten's upward projection has him likely setting a new career-high in points anyway this season, barring a sophomore slump, but the interesting thing will be seeing how many points he can put up after a full season with Pastrnak and Peterka.
Marco Sturm used Pastrnak and Minten together for just 338 five-on-five minutes last season, but the pair amazingly outscored their opponents 25-9. Pastrnak made Minten better every single night they played together, and 82 games together might be massive for the sophomore's development.
3. Casey Mittelstadt
An overlooked player to play in the middle of Pastrnak and Peterka is Mittelstadt. The Bruins' options are limited for centers, and full transparency, it's almost certainly going to be Zacha or Minten, but putting Mittelstadt here could create some tremendous depth on the second and third lines. It could all depend on how good Peterka is to start the season.
Mittelstadt's career-high in points is 59 during the 2022-23 season. Anyone who plays a full season at five-on-five with Pastrnak is going to be near that total, but not being on the first power-play unit with him will take away some opportunity. The Bruins could give Mittelstadt a look on the top unit, and if he does play there but doesn't play the power play, 59 points is going to be right around where he ends up.
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