Report: "No chance" David Pastrnak re-signs with Bruins if Don Sweeney remains general manager
BOSTON -- Bruce Cassidy is out. That is one of the few known items regarding the Boston Bruins.
Team captain Patrice Bergeron is undecided. All-star winger Brad Marchand is on the mend from surgery, as is just-about-fully-bloomed star defenseman Charlie McAvoy.
With so much uncertainty, some focus has already naturally shifted to David Pastrnak. The right winger is one of the most gifted goal scorers on the planet, but he's also entering the final year of a five-year deal that turned out to be an absolute bargain for Boston. The question now is whether Pastrnak will seek to make as much money as he can in free agency next summer, or whether he will re-up with the team that drafted him and allowed him to develop into a star.
According to one report on Tuesday, the latter scenario seems like a long shot.
The Athletic's Fluto Shinzawa talked to a source close to Pastrnak, who said that Pastrnak will not re-sign with Boston if Don Sweeney remains the general manager.
"No chance [Pastrnak] comes back with Sweens as GM," the source told Shinzawa.
A major reason for that, according to the source, has to do with the way that Torey Krug and David Krejci were allowed to walk right out the door when they became free agents in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
"88 had seen how Don has treated his two best friends," that source told The Athletic.
How accurate that source ends up being won't be known for sometime. Sweeney acknowledged on Tuesday morning that the team technically can't discuss a contract extension with Pastrnak until the league calendar flips to next season. He's certainly due for a raise from the $6.67 million average that he's made since 2017. Pastrnak has scored 215 goals since the start of the 2016-17 season, the fifth-most goals in the entire NHL during that span. His cap hit ranked as the 83st-highest in the NHL this past season. The status of Bergeron will certainly contribute to Pastrnak's decision as well.
Shinzawa added that if Pastrnak makes it clear that he does not intend to sign an extension this summer, then it will put the Bruins in a position to trade him away before the start of next season.
"All of this may discourage Pastrnak from putting pen to paper, at least until he gets a better read on the Bruins' long-term health," Shinzawa wrote. "If the Bruins sense any hesitation on Pastrnak's part to re-sign, their only alternative will be to trade their 2014 first-rounder. They cannot afford to let Pastrnak skate for nothing."
Clearly, the firing of Cassidy on Monday night was just the beginning of what could be a monumental offseason for the Boston Bruins.