Two years ago, David Pastrnak had a career season along with his Boston Bruins teammates. In 2023-24 when the Black and Gold set the NHL record for wins and points in a regular season, Pastrnak scored a career-high 61 goals. It was only a matter of time before the superstar right wing reached the 60-goal plateau.
Last season there was a dip in his goals with 47 in 82 games and he played the season without Patrice Bergeron or David Krejci, the top two centers during his time with the Bruins. Both players went off into retirement last summer which left Boston with Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha as their top two pivots. Two good players, but not the playmakers that Bergeron and Krejci were.
This summer on the first day of free agency GM Don Sweeney made a big splash and added a top center in Elias Lindholm who should help improve Pastrnak's scoring numbers. ESPN likes those chances as well as they released 2024-25 projections for players and they see a jump in goals this season for Pasta.
ESPN's 2024-25 David Pastrnak Projections
82 GP, 55 Goals, 57 Assists, 112 points, Plus/Minus of Plus-26, 399 Shots on Goal
ESPN seems on board with Lindholm being a good fit with Pastrnak this upcoming season as they have him scoring eight more goals than he did this past season. It shouldn't come as a surprise as for as good as Coyle and Zacha were last and Coyle was very good, a top center like Lindholm is going to make a big difference for the Black and Gold.
However, on the flip side, Lindholm is coming off what could be considered a down season between the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks in terms of regular season production, but he did play a little better in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Zacha is projected to play the left wing on that line and that should also help Pastrnak's production both at even strength and on the power play. in his prime, it wouldn't be surprising to see Pastrnak score 50 goals again this season, and reaching 55 is not out of the question.