Boston Bruins: The NHL’s 2020-21 scoring title belongs to David Pastrnak

David Pastrnak is on the cusp of being the new scoring king in the NHL.

Quickly establishing himself as one of the most lethal offensive juggernauts in the entire league, David Pastrnak is a scoring machine for the Boston Bruins and 2020-21 could be the year he rises to the next level.

Having carved out his best year yet during the 2019-20 season, recording 48 goals and tallying 47 assists for 95 points in 70 games before the COVID-19 Pandemic brought the 2019-20 regular season to a close, Pastrnak achieved what very few have been able to over the last decade.

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He took the NHL’s scoring title away from Alex Ovechkin.

Well, nearly. Pastrnak and Ovechkin ended up with joint ownership of the Maurice Rocket Richard Trophy, awarded to the leading goalscorer in the National Hockey League, after each lit the lamp 48 times last season.

Taking home the award in six of the previous seven seasons prior to last year, Ovechkin has boasted a nearly unbreakable stronghold on that particular honor, but he was given a run for his money in 2019-20.

And there’s good reason to think that the Russian goal machine may actually have to relinquish his crown for good in 2020-21.

After all, Pastrnak has emerged as one of the best young talents in the game and, at just 24-years of age, his ceiling is both incredibly high and incredibly scary.

He’s riding a rapid trajectory to becoming one of the most feared scorers and playmakers in the NHL, while the right shot could well be the new heir to the throne with Ovechkin nearer the end of his career than he is to the beginning.

Granted, Pastrnak does have the rare luxury of being on the same line as one of the best two-way centers to have ever done it in Patrice Bergeron, and one of the best creators in the league in Brad Marchand who perhaps doesn’t get as much credit as he deserves for his offensive output given his other on-ice antics.

But there is no denying that Pastrnak is a star and, while he has to iron out certain kinks in his game and discover the secret sauce to elevating his game in the postseason, he’s on the right track to dominate the NHL for the foreseeable future.

With 379 points (180 G, 199 A) in 390 career regular season games for the Bruins, coupled with the fact that he has produced career years in each of the past four seasons, Pastrnak already has produced quite the impressive resume and the sample size suggests that he could create his own dynasty when it comes to the Rocket.

He boasts a wicked release, he can score from any angle and in almost every possible way and he’s also considerably a lot younger than Ovechkin, while there is also the added fact that Pastrnak is only going to get better the older he gets.

So, while Ovechkin will no doubt still be his lethal self when it comes to lighting the lamp in 2020-21, he now has some serious competition in David Pastrnak who has all the makings of a player that can consistently lead the NHL in scoring year in and year out.

It will be an interesting battle to watch unfold next season and the Boston Bruins will be hoping that Pastrnak can provide the firepower they need to keep their Stanley Cup window open.