The Bruins’ best bet to retain star right-winger David Pastrnak at a reasonable team-friendly contract is long gone. The czech native bet on himself as well as other inferior players getting overpaid this offseason and into the season. That trend has continued with the recent extension by the Dallas Stars to their star 26-year-old center Roope Hintz.
On Tuesday morning, the Dallas Stars announced they have signed forward Roope Hintz to an eight-year, $67.6 million contract extension, which may directly affect the Boston Bruins.
The Bruins have had ongoing contract negations with Pastrnak and his agent since the summer but still can’t find a mutual number. Pastrnak has made it known how much he loves Boston and playing in the city with his current teammates. Hintz signed for $8.45 million, which is right around the area where Pasta was initially, but this may push it back up to $80 to $100 million over eight years.
Sweeney and Pastrank’s agent has commented on the situation recently, letting everyone know the talks are ongoing but can’t give details. It is good news though that they care making strides and hopefully will have an extension in place by the end of the season.
“The communication has been good, just haven?t found the end point yet,” Sweeney told reporters.
Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey Now spoke to Pastrnak’s agent via email and got a reply on where contract negotiations stand at the beginning of December.
“I continue to speak to Don on a regular basis,” J.P. Barry told BHN on Thursday. “I can’t really go into specifics as it doesn’t really help the process at this stage.”
Roope vs Pasta by the numbers
Pasta has been the better player throughout his career, and it hasn’t even been close. He has registered 254 goals and 282 assists in 531 career games. He’s currently scoring at a 1.01 points-per-game pace after nine NHL seasons. In comparison, Hintz has 88 goals and 106 assists in 261 games, which is 0.74.
The difference between the two is that Pastrnak has much more experience than Hintz, even though he was drafted just one year prior. Pastrnak took the league by storm from a young age establishing himself as one of the elite goal scorers in the NHL and hasn’t looked back.
To compare this season, both players have started off with excellent starts, but Pasta is just superior. Pastrnak is currently tied for fifth in the league with 32 points (14G, 18A), and Hintz is 11th with 24 points (8G, 16A).
While Pastrnak is not demanding McDavid or MacKinnon-type money, he deserves a contract that will pay him $11 million annually. With the cap expected to jump significantly over the next few years, his contract will be a bargain in the future.
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