Bruins Name David Pastrnak Captain

In any case, Pastrnak is a clear choice to be the captain in Boston. He is the team’s longest-tenured player, having made his debut for the club in 2014-15.

Pastrnak’s emergence as one of the game’s most talented and productive offensive wingers was a key factor in helping the Bruins stay a top team as their previous core of players continued to age.

As some of the core players from the Bruins’ title-winning 2011 team got closer to retirement, such as Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, Pastrnak was able to pick up the slack and develop into a legitimate offensive force.

Pastrnak’s breakout came in his third NHL season, when he scored 34 goals and 70 points. Since that year, Pastrnak has scored 395 goals and 880 points in just 736 games. He’s scored at least 100 points in each of the last four years, and has earned Hart Trophy votes six times.

In 2022-23, the Bruins went 65-12-5, breaking the all-time record for the most regular-season wins in a season. Pastrnak’s brilliance helped power them to that point, as he scored a career-high 61 goals and won the Rocket Richard Trophy.

Throughout his tenure in Boston, Pastrnak has been able to be a crucial driver of the success of a consistent playoff contender. Since his breakout season in 2016-17, Pastrnak and the Bruins have missed the playoffs only once. In total he has 94 points in 96 career playoff contests, and came one win short of winning a Stanley Cup back in 2019. Now the Bruins’ captain, Pastrnak will shoulder an even greater responsibility for the franchise as he looks to help them once again compete for a championship.

Pastrnak will also be the team’s captain as he chases down individual honors in Bruins team history. Entering his age-30 campaign, Pastrnak has the fifth-most goals and sixth-most points in Bruins history.

He’ll now be the captain himself as he looks to chase down two other legendary Bruins captains on the franchise leaderboards. Hall of Fame inductee Johnny Bucyk holds the franchise record in goals with 545, while all-time great defenseman Ray Bourque holds the points record at 1,506.