David Pastrnak hasn't missed a game for the Boston Bruins since the 2021-22 season. He has been a constant presence in the lineup while others have struggled to stay healthy, and it's one of the many reasons that fans have grown to love him. Simply put, Pastrnak shows up for the Bruins through good or bad, and he should be given all kinds of respect for the performance he gave last season when everything else went sideways.
Pastrnak's reliability is the reason why so many people were shocked when Don Sweeney told reporters on Wednesday that he would miss the first couple of days of on-ice activities due to tendinitis he sustained in offseason workouts. In a lineup starving for star power, Pastrnak not being on the ice when we all get a first look at the team will leave a gaping hole.
It's shocking to see load management labelled as a reason why an NHL player is missing the start of training camp. The word is a source of jokes for NHL fans when they see it put next to other sports, as most will tell you that hockey players will play through anything. However, the question with Pastrnak's issues are whether the Bruins are going to allow it to carry over into the season.
In no way am i going to say that the Bruins don't want to compete this season, but grabbing a couple more top prospects is certainly a sound strategy. The 2025 draft class has made the Bruins' prospect pool climb the rankings, and another good year in 2026 would put a rapid acceleration on the rebuild plans.
The Bruins are ecstatic that James Hagens fell to them at No. 7, but the team could've easily gained a couple more spots if they hadn't won some games that they shouldn't have towards the end of the season. More often than not, the reason for those wins was Pastrnak, who carried the team on his back for large portions of the second half.
The Bruins shouldn't be wasting a year of Pastrnak's prime in this mini-rebuild, but the reality is that they are there. He will get to represent his country at the 2026 Olympics this year, and the Bruins hope that the experience will keep him happy enough to forget that his NHL team is nowhere near ready to compete for a Stanley Cup. So, what would stop them from taking a super-cautious route and sitting Pastrnak out for games during the season to rest this tendinitis ailment?
They could play him for a large portion of the early season which would get him to the Olympics in top form and maybe, just maybe, put the Bruins in a position to compete for a wildcard spot. But, what happens if the Bruins are way out of the playoff picture after the Olympics? Would the Bruins cite the lingering tendinitis as a reason to shut Pastrnak down for the final month and a half?
A Bruins lineup without Pastrnak (and who's to guess who else will get injured during the season) would look like a bottom-five team in the league. The defense and goaltending would be solid, but the forwards probably aren't scoring many goals. No Pastrnak could be the difference between picking seventh again or stumbling into the top-five of a strong draft, much like we saw last season during his heroics.
It's hard not to be cynical about this season. While it could be an overreaction to Pastrnak missing the first few days of camp, I'd put a pin in this mysterious tendinitis. It wouldn't surprise me at all if it lingers throughout the season, especially when the season looks bleak and the front office is dreaming of adding Gavin McKenna to the prospect pool.