The Boston Bruins ended all speculation regarding their next captain on Sunday by naming David Pastrnak as the team’s next official leader.
And it was absolutely the right choice.
“Pasta” had essentially been the Bruins’ de facto captain ever since Brad Marchand departed. Even if Pastrnak didn’t officially have the “C” on his sweater, his performance on the ice pretty much made it clear that he was the team’s leader.
Now, the organization has made a firm commitment that the Bruins are Pastrnak’s team. It’s a deserved honor, and one that should bode well for the organization.
Bruins only made official what everyone already knew
The reality of the situation is that the Bruins only made official what everyone knew. It was evident that Pastrnak took the team’s leadership and ran with it, even before Marchand left.
In fact, you could argue that Pastrnak should have been captain instead of Marchand, but that’s just nitpicking at this point.
The fact of the matter is that David Pastrnak has been the guy for the club, especially at times when Charlie McAvoy went down with various injuries. It’s not that McAvoy isn’t a leader for the team. But it’s Pasta who’s been that constant presence, even during lean times.
And when the games have been on the line, Pasta has been the guy. Last playoffs, it was Pastrnak who came up big when it mattered. With the Bruins down 3-1 in their first-round series against the Buffalo Sabres, Boston pushed Buffalo to overtime in Game 5. And it was Pasta who delivered the final blow to keep the Bruins’ playoff hopes alive.
Yes, Boston succumbed to the Sabres in Game 6, but Pastrnak’s heroics in Game 5 were a great example of just how important the Bruins’ newly named captain really is.
Pastrnak as captain doesn’t really change much for the team
At the end of the day, naming Pastrnak captain doesn’t really change much for the team. The 30-year-old will just keep doing his thing, while he continues to lead a new core of Bruins players now fully invested in him, McAvoy, and Jeremy Swayman. Other players like James Hagens and Fraser Minten should keep evolving into the outer ring of that inner core that figures to carry Boston for the foreseeable future.
That foreseeable future should extend to at least 2031, when Pastrnak’s current deal expires. That timeline seems like eons away and gives the organization plenty of runway to build a Stanley Cup contender.
With elite pieces in place, there’s not much room to debate the potential the Bruins have. While the Atlantic Division won’t be a walk in the park, if there’s one team no one wants to face is Boston.
David Pastrnak will make sure Boston is the team that everyone hates to face.
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