With time winding down until the Boston Bruins open the 2023-24 season, their roster is taking shape after undergoing many changes over the summer. As part of looking ahead to the coming NHL season, we’ll look at the Bruins’ roster and see what we can expect from them during the upcoming campaign.
Today, we look at David Pastrnak, who will be looking to follow up on an explosive performance last season. He joined the legendary Hall of Famer Phil Esposito as the only two Bruins players to score 60-plus goals in a season. While the achievement is rare, Esposito hit the mark four times during his illustrious career. The lingering question entering the upcoming season is whether Pastrnak can reach the mark for a second consecutive season.
Pastrnak’s Path to Stardom
A short look back at Pastrnak’s career shows that he was destined to become a star player for the Bruins franchise. Drafted by the club 25th overall at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Pastrnak didn’t take long to make his NHL debut. “When you get a guy like that at 25, a guy as good as he is, it’s luck,” Bruins’ former director of amateur scouting, Keith Gretzky, said (from ‘Drafting David Pastrnak: How Bruins got a franchise-defining player at No. 25,’ The Athletic, Jan 29, 2021). He made his debut as an 18-year-old during the 2014-15 season and showed glimpses of his skill and scoring prowess that have now made him a fan favorite.
Related: Boston Bruins’ 2023-24 Player Projections: Pavel Zacha
Pastrnak has steadily improved year after year, culminating with last season, where he finished with 61 goals and 52 assists for 113 points. In the 2019-20 season, he was on pace to hit the 50-goal mark for the first time in his career before the season was abruptly ended due to the pandemic. He finished the season with 48 goals, tied with Alexander Ovechkin for the league lead and was named the co-winner of the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy.
His massive performances on the ice also coincide with his enormous personality off the ice. Pastrnak has become a fan favorite in Boston and across the NHL, as he has become one of the game’s biggest stars. From his flashy puckhandling on the ice to his striking sense of style off, his star power was on display at the 2023 NHL All-Star festivities when he pulled off the Happy Gilmore act at the skills competition.
Pastrnak Makes His Linemates Better
As with many superstars the NHL has seen, Pastrnak has the unique ability to improve his linemates. Even before the creation of the Perfection Line, Pastrnak first had great chemistry with former Bruins’ prospect Ryan Spooner. The success that followed when joining Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand speaks for itself, as the trio became one of the best lines in all of hockey.
Last season, Pastrnak played the majority of the campaign alongside fellow countrymates David Krejci and Pavel Zacha. Krejci showed little rust after stepping away from the NHL for an entire season and finished with 16 goals and 40 assists for 56 points in 70 games. Zacha also responded positively to playing on Pastrnak’s line by putting together the best season of his career.
Related: Boston Bruins’ Player Projections: Kevin Shattenkirk
Later on in the campaign, after the arrival of Tyler Bertuzzi and Krejci missing some game action while dealing with injuries, Pastrnak found instant chemistry with Bertuzzi as well. Even during Krejci’s hiatus and playing on a line with Erik Haula and Taylor Hall, Pastrnak helped form a dangerous second line for the Bruins. His uncanny ability to make other players better is undeniable, and it doesn’t matter who he plays with. While it remains to be seen who will be on his line this season, one thing for sure is that he will continue to find the back of the net.
Pastrnak’s Projection for the 2023-24 Season
Pastrnak set the bar high for himself last season, and it will be difficult for him to top the 113 points he put up. However, reaching 100 points is still doable in the upcoming season. The bigger question is if he can score 60 goals again, and for me, there is no reason he can’t hit the mark for the second consecutive season.
ESPN’s projections have Pastrnak scoring 56 goals and 49 assists for 105 points, which are pretty realistic numbers for the Bruins star. His career shooting percentage sits at 14.2 percent. However, he has finished with shooting percentages higher than that in three of the past five seasons, including a career-high 17.2 percent in the 2019-20 season. Combining his precision with the sheer volume of shots he fires on goal, hitting the 60-goal mark again is bound to happen. My prediction for Pastrnak is 62 goals and 46 assists for 108 points this season.
