Fansided

Which player will be each NHL team’s superstar in 5 years?

By Griffin Youngs

TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 1 - Auston Matthews
TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 1 - Auston Matthews /
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BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 27: David Pastrnak #88 of the Boston Bruins looks on during the first period at TD Garden on October 27, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 27: David Pastrnak #88 of the Boston Bruins looks on during the first period at TD Garden on October 27, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Boston Bruins- David Pastrnak

The Boston Bruins have been one of the leagues premier franchises for sveeral years, especially being an original six franchise. Despite a couple years of mediocrity, Boston has always at worst hung around playoff contention. Even without many high draft picks, the Bruins have done a great job of drafting over the last several years, but nothing will compare to what has turned into one of the biggest draft steals of this decade with David Pastrnak.

David Pastrnak was drafted 25th overall in the 2014 NHL Draft. The only reason he fell that far in the draft was because of a general concern about his size and defensive play, and he not only proved that criticism to be ridiculous, but proved that he was undoubtedly the best player in his draft class. He leads the whole draft class in points and points per game, and was a crucial part in pushing a mediocre Bruins team into being serious Stanley Cup contenders.

The now 22 year old Pastrnak plays on a line with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron, a line that is commonly referred to as the best line in hockey. Since being united with those two, Pastrnak has been lighting the league on fire and evolved into a bonafide star. 70 points in 75 games in 2016-17, 80 points in 82 games in 2017-18, and he’s on pace to shatter both of those totals this season. With 19 goals through the first 24 games of the season, Pastrnak is among the league leaders in goal scoring with the likes of Alex Ovechkin and Patrik Laine.

Five years from now, The Bruins current core will be in the twilights of their careers with Pastrnak just entering his prime. He’s going to keep improving every game at still just 22 years old, and we may not have seen the best of what he has to offer yet. It’s a scary thought, but Pastrnak doesn’t need Marchand and Bergeron to be a star, and he’s proved multiple times already this season by continuing his scoring pace even after dropping in the lineup. With support from Charlie McAvoy, Jake Debrusk, Ryan Donato, and Danton Heinen along side Pastrnak, the Bruins will be going nowhere anytime soon.

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