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What David Pastrnak, Don Sweeney said about Bruins star’s new contract extension
"I can't wait to get to work."
The Bruins finally locked up David Pastrnak to a long-term deal on Thursday, inking the star winger to an eight-year, $90 million contract that will keep him with Boston through 2031.
Shortly after putting pen to paper, Pastrnak and Don Sweeney addressed the media to discuss the new contract and its implications for a Bruins team staring at an uncertain future.
Here are a few observations from Thursday’s extended pressers.
Pastrnak was not fretting over contract talks during the regular season
Don Sweeney’s top priority this season has revolved around keeping this contention window ajar for however long Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci remain entrenched down the middle.
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But crafting a long-term deal for Pastrnak has been etched right near the top of the B’s to-do list ever since negotiations first started with the star’s representatives last summer.
Boston has a track record of settling looming contract negotiations during the preseason, as seen last year with Charlie McAvoy’s own eight-year contract.
But even though talks between Sweeney and Pastrnak’s agent, J.P. Barry, carried over well into the regular season, Pastrnak wasn’t fretting over the possibility of a deal not being struck.
“Honestly, I think I was pretty honest with you guys,” Pastrnak said. “I didn’t really worry about it much. Especially when I get to the rink and when playing. It was off my mind.”
His pending free agency clearly didn’t hamper Pastrnak’s play on the ice. The 26-year-old winger is still on pace for 57 goals and 109 total points over a full 82-game season.
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As for Sweeney, the Bruins were operating with plenty of urgency to get Thursday’s deal done.
“Ideally, yes,” Sweeney said of being patient in contract talks. “But you still get closer of maybe peeking under the covers elsewhere. And you wonder. Until a deal’s done, you have some anxiety. But we were confident in what our organization offers to David, and the success we’ve had and hopefully continue to have. He’s a big part of that. The commitment from ownership to get a deal done is quite obvious in where this landed.”
Pastrnak valued the potential of sticking with one NHL team
The Bruins’ dressing room is already anchored by star talent who have only donned one NHL sweater in their noteworthy careers.
For Pastrnak, following the trend of the old guard of Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and Krejci was important to him when it came to becoming a life-long Bruin.
“It’s huge,” Pastrnak said of sticking with Boston. “These are the guys I grew up with pretty much in my [whole] NHL career. I’ve been learning from them every day. And it’s an amazing accomplishment to play your career [for] one team. And that definitely was stuck in my head going into this negotiation. I’m honored and happy that I’m staying here, and I can’t wait to get to work.”
Pastrnak didn’t ask about the future of the franchise before putting pen to paper
Boston is the only place Pastrnak has called home since he turned pro.
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He’s comfortable in his surroundings and his showmanship and flair on the ice have made him one of the city’s top stars in the sporting sphere.
And even though Pastrnak’s eventual payout probably landed a bit higher than the Bruins initially expected, the team was never going to let simple dollars and cents be the roadblock that forced their top sniper to hit the open market in July.
But given the uncertain future facing this team in the years ahead, it wouldn’t have been much of a surprise if Pastrnak was a bit hesitant to commit long-term to a team with so many question marks down the middle.
But even with the murky status of Bergeron and Krejci’s future beyond this season, Pastrnak said that he did not express any reservations about the future of the franchise with Sweeney before crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s on his deal.
“Not at all. Honestly, I must say through this process my relationship, from my standpoint, grew closer with Sweens. I’m a player, that’s not on my business. I never dared to ask him about the future. I trust him and he’s doing his job and I’m gonna do my job.”
Bruins don’t expect to be active between now and Friday’s trade deadline
The Bruins once again bolstered their roster on Thursday by dealing for Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi. But such a deal was only made possible by Boston potentially losing both Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno for the rest of the regular season … if not longer.
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But even if Boston now has added financial flexibility due to Hall’s likely lengthy tenure on long-term injured reserve, Sweeney doesn’t expect Boston to make another move between now and Friday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline.
“I doubt it,” Sweeney said. “Like I said, I haven’t really tried to mess with the chemistry and it’s unfortunate that in the previous situation we lost a really good teammate in Craig [Smith]. We haven’t really tried to uproot the locker room in that sense. We’ve tried to complement and add to it and reinforce in some areas that we felt we could. So I don’t anticipate any more changes.”
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