The Boston Bruins’ centennial season is officially complete. While it did not net a Stanley Cup Championship and give the Bruins faithful another duckboat parade, the season was not a complete failure. The organization celebrated 100 years of Bruins hockey and even took a trip down memory lane. Several era nights took place at TD Garden, where fans relived the memories of different eras of Bruins hockey.
The Bruins also had another 100-point season and finished second in the Atlantic Division. Now that the season is over, we can reflect on how players performed and give them a grade for the season. Today’s report card will be on superstar forward David Pastrnak.
Pastrnak Is the Bruins’ MVP
The award for the Most Valuable Player was a more obvious choice, as the finalists were Nathan MacKinnon, Nikita Kucherov, and Connor McDavid. However, numerous candidates could have been finalists, such as Auston Matthews, who scored 69 goals for the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2023-24 season. Also, Pastrnak certainly made a case for the Hart Trophy but is, without question, the Bruins’ most valuable player.
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Pastrnak led the Bruins in points (110) and goals (47) for the second season in a row. He shattered his expected goals rate of 37.5, a testament to his finishing ability. Furthermore, of his 63 assists, 39 were primary. Captain Brad Marchand was the next closest player in points, with 67, and goals, with 29. During the historic 2022-23 season, Pastrnak finished 46 points ahead of the next closest player and scored 34 more goals than the nearest player. Safe to say, Pastrnak is important to the Bruins, and without him, things would be tough.
After seeing iconic centers in Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci retire, questions loomed about how Pastrnak would perform. After all, those were the two centers he spent most of his career playing alongside. Pastrnak did more than fine despite them leaving and put together his second straight 100-point season. The biggest key for him was that he was not a power play merchant. Of his 110 points, only 35 came on the power play, so he did a good job when things were played at five-in-five. As much as he flashed his lethal shot and playmaking ability, Pastrnak elevated his defensive game.
Playing alongside Bergeron and Krejci had its perks, as they were defensively responsible. During the 2022-23 season, Pastrnak finished second on the Bruins with 52 takeaways. This past season, he led the Bruins with 54 takeaways and lowered his turnovers. Turnovers are bound to happen when you have the puck as much as Pastrnak has on his stick. However, it’s great to see he elevated his play defensively. Pastrnak delivered another sensational regular season. Now, let’s take a look at the postseason play.
Pastrnak and His Playoff Run
In 13 games played, Pastrnak finished with four goals and eight points. He became the big playoff hero, scoring the game-winning goal in overtime against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7.
In the playoffs, things got off to a roaring start for Pastrnak, as he had one point in each of the first five games. Credit to former head coach Sheldon Keefe and the Maple Leafs defense for making adjustments, as they held the Bruins to under two goals in the remaining three games. Fast forward to the series against the Panthers and Pastrnak was limited. He scored one goal and three points in six games.
The Panthers were the best defensive team during the regular season and flexed those muscles in round two against the Bruins. They took control of the game at five on five with Pastrnak on the ice, and he did not have room to breathe. From an offensive standpoint, Pastrnak factored into just 4.07 expected goals at five-on-five. While that led the team, it was also a low event for everyone else. You can argue the team needed more from him, but credit to the Panthers’ defense doing their job and neutralizing the Bruins’ biggest weapon.
Pastrnak’s Overall Grade
Pastrnak is, without question, the Bruins’ biggest weapon and the team’s best player. What he brings and the situations he gets deployed in are huge. This is a player the team counts on for big goals and production, and he delivers.
He showed he was worthy of every penny of that contract extension (8 years, $11.25M AAV) and why he is the face of this next wave of Bruins hockey. This team isn’t the same without Pastrnak, and he showed why this season.
Grade: A++
