Dreger: Contract negotiations with star player may be head 'in a dark direction.'

Not looking good.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 6 years ago
Dreger: Contract negotiations with star player may be head 'in a dark direction.'
Keystone Press

We honestly believed a trade was a likely way this would end, but the latest comments from TSN insider Darren Dreger now has us doubting that initial belief.

Dreger was a guest on Buffalo's WGR 550 radio late last week when he touched on the ongoing contract negotiations between Boston Bruins star forward David Pastrnak, and the Bruins management group, presumably general manager Don Sweeney, team president Cam Neely and owner Jeremy Jacobs.

While Dreger did not say anything definitive one way or another, there no doubt that his comments made it rather clear that it thus far things are not looking good for the talks between the two parties.

“But that doesn’t sound like it’s going to get it done by a long shot, from Pastrnak’s perspective," said Dreger as per Fanrag's Chris Nichols. "You look at some of the comps that exist out there. Again, Leon Draisaitl’s 8.5. Is Pastrnak that much less of a player than Draisaitl? Draisaitl is a center, so we’ll give him a premium nudge there. But the point production, etc. is pretty close in terms of entry-level players. Then you look at Tarasenko of the St. Louis Blues, which is – again – I think a fair comp. His AAV is at 7.5."

It gets worse, Dreger believes things may be about to go even further downhill from here, and if fact describe it as head in a dark direction.

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“So I think that this could get greasy. I think that this negotiation between David Pastrnak and the Boston Bruins – unless the Bruins change their position and they come off their number – this could be headed in a dark direction."

With the NHL banning it's players from Olympic participation the threat of restricted free agents signing in Europe is bigger than ever, and one now has to wonder if the Bruins would consider trading a star forward like they have many times in the past.

 Fans in Boston will likely be outraged if this turns into a scenario they have seen all too many times before with players like Joe Thornton, Phil Kessel, Tyler Seguin, and more.

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