David Pastrnak scored again Saturday night as the Boston Bruins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 at TD Garden in one of the most exciting games of the 2022-23 NHL season.
The superstar right wing now has 33 goals -- four behind Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid in the race for the Rocket Richard Trophy. Pastrnak has tallied 59 points (33 goals, 26 assists) in 42 games, and he's on pace to become the first 50-goal scorer for the Bruins since Cam Neely in 1993-94 and the team's first 60-goal scorer since Phil Esposito in 1974-75.
Another Bruins-Leafs playoff series in 2023 would be real treat for fans
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But the primary storyline involving Pastrnak is not his historic first half of the season. It's the fact that he remains unsigned beyond the current campaign.
What's the latest update on contract talks between Pastrnak's camp and the Bruins?
"I want to be careful with this one, but the word around the league is that the Bruins and Pastrnak have been making some progress," Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said during the "Hockey Night in Canada" broadcast Saturday night. "Don't get out of control with that, but I just want to say it appears some progress is being made in that negotiation. I still think there are things that need to get done, but the word on Saturday for Pastrnak is progress."
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney spoke to reporters Saturday night after the team announced it had signed forward Pavel Zacha to a four-year, $19 million extension. Sweeney was asked if he had a new update on the Pastrnak situation. His reply was, "No."
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The Bruins' No. 1 priority from now until July -- aside from winning the Stanley Cup, of course -- needs to be re-signing Pastrnak to a long-term deal. Boston cannot afford to lose a player of Pastrnak's caliber on and off the ice.