Will David Pastrnak follow the Bruins players before him?
As we've said time and time again, the Boston Bruins number one priority is to sign David Pastrnak to an extension, and hopefully a max one at that. Pasta's recent comments can give Bruins fans some reassurance that a deal can get done, but the next question would be, how much? And does it really matter?
One thing that the Bruins have always been able to do is signing elite players to below market value contract, �'hometown discounts'' or �'team-friendly deals'' as some would say. Just look at any player on Boston playing in the top-six forwards or top-four defenders, and basically every one of them has a pretty friendly deal.
Case and point, the recent contracts that both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci just signed, costing the team just $3.5 million total for the top two centres. Even Brad Marchand and Taylor Hall who are on the books of $6.125 million and $6 million respectively.
Pasta actually makes the most out of any forward at $6.66 million. The highest contract, and rightfully so, is defenseman Charlie McAvoy with an AAV of $9.5 million, but for another eight seasons.
As per Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic:
�'Bergeron ($2.5 million AAV) and Krejci ($1 million) did their employer a favor by signing team-friendly one-year deals. But they are 37 and 36. The market has changed for players in or approaching their primes.''
�'On Oct. 15, 2021, Charlie McAvoy obliterated Bergeron's ceiling with an eight-year, $76 million extension. The market signals that Pastrnak is due more. A hometown discount, then, does not appear to be baked into Pastrnak's deal.''
Just like McAvoy, Pastrnak is an elite player that is now going into the prime of his career, and those are the guys you pay the big bucks. You just hope they oblige to take less like many in Boston have before.
General manager Don Sweeney spoke on the subject:
�'I think when Patrice and David Krejci signed their contracts, they were market-value deals. I expect us to approach it the same, not unlike any of our other players, whether it's Charlie McAvoy or anybody else That's just what it requires. Especially with really, really good players. They have leverage.''
Bruins fans should be optimistic that David Pastrnak will sign an extension in Boston. The young core is good enough to compete for several more years and he's stated he loves it here. Just don't be surprised he doesn't take the discount we're used to and gets a large number on his next contract!
