Statistics suggest David Pastrnak deserves to get paid

Still without a contract...

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 6 years ago
Statistics suggest David Pastrnak deserves to get paid
Keystone Press

Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak remains unsigned with the NHL season fast-approaching.

In an article by Yahoo! Sports, writer Ryan Lambert suggests the 21-year-old was going to get something in the neighborhood of five or six years at an AAV of something like $5.5 million to $6.5 million. Lambert notes Pastrnak is high-end talent and should be paid as such. 

Only 11 forwards under the age of 22 have cleared 120 points in the past three seasons, with some of those players being Connor McDavid, Johnny Gaudreau and Pastrnak. 

He notes it's understandable that people would be hesitant to give him $8 million or more, but the Bruins didn’t have a problem giving Tyler Seguin $5.75 million and six years back in 2013-14. Lambert claims the idea that the Bruins would trade this guy is silly. How many top-end early-20s guys can they justify trading away in a decade?

It's unlikely the young superstar will be offer-sheeted, but they’re leaving themselves exposed. They have enough cap space to match any offer to Pastrnak, but they shouldn't want another team dictating what kind of contract they give to one of their best players.