Contract comparables for Pastrnak and the Bruins' 2023 cap space projection

Even though he's not a UFA until July 1st, 2023, the club (and fans) want a deal done as soon as possible.

With the cap going up soon, it's difficult to predict what a Pastrnak extension would look like. However, some NHL stars have signed max extensions recently, and the contract comparables could be a good sign for the Bruins.

Early reports were that Pasta would be asking for a double-digit number per season, and judging by the comparables is easy to see why.

Johnny Gaudreau might be the closest, who signed an eight-year, $68.75 million contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Gaudreau (1.01 PPG) and Pasta (0.98 PPG) are the most comparable scoring-wise. However, the Bruins winger is three years younger and is more of an elite shooter, and nothing is more valuable than goals in the NHL.

Boston also has more expected cap space next summer than they have in recent years but a lot of pending free agents simultaneously. Thanks to @BruinsCapSpace on Twitter, we can see just what the Bruins projected cap card and lineup could look like.

Can the Bruins stay competitive by giving Pasta $10 million-plus? It's uncertain that Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci will continue their careers, while the team would more than likely want to bring back Pavel Zacha and sign Jeremy Swayman to a long-term deal.

SOURCE:
@BruinsCapSpace: