Ever since he first joined the Bruins back in 2014, David Pastrnak has gone on to be the franchise guy in Boston. He's the number one intangible, and somewhat untouchable guy for the Bruins. Pastrnak has played with the best of the best -- Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and Zdeno Chara -- but as of late, he seems to be the only real elite guy left.
As the Bruins have begun to regress by time, they aren't exactly the worst team in the league; they still have superstars like Charlie McAvoy, Jeremy Swayman, and Pasta himself. However, with what is looking like a season which could be aimed at getting the best chance of securing generational talent and future first overall pick Gavin McKenna, the question of how long Pastrnak is willing to stick around is lingering.
Being part of an elite team who have gone on to do everything but win the cup in the last 10 years, it was inevitable that soon, the famous Boston Bruins would no longer be a powerhouse team in the NHL, but it seems that they could get even worse with time. Pastrnak who is now 29 hasn't been short of opportunities to win the cup with Boston, having his prime years throughout his 20s filled with cup-chasing opportunities. But with no luck over the last decade, a move away could be his final option.
Given the direction the Bruins are currently headed in, having a guy like Pasta is kind of like the final lifeline a team has. Sure, they have their defensive guys like McAvoy, but offensively, he is what is keeping the ship afloat. Pasta is currently in his third year of an eight-year, $90 million deal he signed back in 2023-24, and as far as trade value, he is probably as high as you're going to get. The last thing Boston fans even want to think about right now is the possibility of trading Pastrnak, but if things go the wrong direction, they could have no choice but to ship him away.
For example, if the Bruins finish the season in a bottom five lottery position, their chances of getting Gavin McKenna aren't massive, but aren't small either. However, if the Bruins did have a bad year, traded some solid talent, and went all in on the McKenna mission, and ended up not getting McKenna, that instant rebuild turns into a four- to five-year slog, something cup hungry guys like Pastrnak aren't going to take too well.
It is crazy to even think about a guy like Pastrnak being traded after signing a monster deal like he did, but with what is an already poor team, potentially turning even worse with the possibility of not even securing your next franchise guy, Pastrnak could be out of Boston as early as next season.