Don Sweeney had himself a Thursday as the Bruins made a few moves to shore up the roster.
Boston’s general manager traded for Tyler Bertuzzi, sending draft picks to the Detroit Red Wings, but the move everyone had been waiting for came shortly after the Bertuzzi trade was made official.
The Bruins signed David Pastrnak to an eight-year extension worth $90 million to keep the forward in Boston through his prime. Both Sweeney and Pastrnak have expressed the desire to get a deal done. Both sides were talking daily since the offseason and into the regular season and it all came together Thursday morning.
Pastrnak is on pace to be the Bruins’ first 50-goal scorer since Cam Neely reached the feat in the 1993-94 season. He has 80 points this season for Boston heading into Thursday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres.
The extension now makes Pastrnak the highest-paid player in Bruins history, and he deserves every penny of it.
Pastrnak, 26, constantly has been reliable for the Bruins, and it was a no-brainer to get the deal done.
The three-time All-Star’s 282 goals, 13 hat tricks, 302 assists and 584 points all have him in the top 20 in Bruins franchise history, and those numbers only will continue to grow as Pastrnak looks to get better with each passing season.
This year is no different. It seems like Pastrnak has reached another level each time he hits the ice. He’s a top scorer in the league, winning the Maurice “Rocket” Richard trophy (tying with Alex Ovechkin) in 2019-20 with 48 goals in the COVID-19-shortened season. That season also saw Pastrnak reach a career-high 95 points — a mark he’s sure to pass this season.
Pastrnak also has been crucial in the playoffs, notching 74 points in 70 games. And with the Bruins poised to make a lengthy Stanley Cup run this year, they’ll need Pastrnak to continue to be at the top of his game. And there’s no reason to think he won’t go all out this year once the playoffs begin.
The eight-year deal is a sign that the Bruins will build around Pastrnak for years to come. Both Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm, who signed eight-year deals in 2021 and 2022, respectively, will help make sure they have a strong foundation on defense and offense.
Sweeney is having a great few days leading up to the March 3 trade deadline, and Pastrnak’s deal has to move him up in the conversation for GM of the year.
