By signing an eight-year contract extension with the Bruins, David Pastrnak cemented himself as a focal point of Boston's future.
Pastrnak eventually will receive the baton from Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, a pair of Bruins legends who very well could call it a career once the 2022-23 NHL season concludes. Bergeron, a 2003 third-round pick by the B's, and Krejci, selected in the third round by Boston a year later, have spent their entire NHL careers in the Black and Gold and will go down as two of the best players to ever sport the Spoked B.
The 26-year-old Pastrnak has had a front-row seat to Bergeron's and Krejci's impacts on the Bruins organization for almost a decade now. Speaking with reporters Thursday, Pastrnak admitted the idea of following in his teammates' footsteps and being a Bruins lifer was "stuck in my head" as the extension was negotiated. Boston represents a "home away from home" for Pastrnak, a Czech Republic native who joined the Bruins franchise as a teenager in 2014.
"It's an amazing compliment to play your career for one team and that definitely was stuck in my head, you know, going into this negotiation," Pastrnak told reporters, per the team. "So I'm honored and happy that I'm staying here and I can't wait to get to work."
Bergeron and Krejci eventually will skate off into the sunset, and they will be sorely missed by Bruins fans in the years that follow those decisions. But Boston appears to be in great hands moving forward and it has those two stellar centermen in part to thank.
