David Pastrnak Gets the Bruins’ C: Now Comes the Hard Part

Well, the Boston Bruins have a new captain. And I don't think anybody is going to have trouble recognizing him.

David Pastrnak was named the 28th captain in Bruins history on Sunday, taking on the big job for a franchise that’s been through a fair bit of change. Pastrnak has been one of Boston's stars for years, so this doesn't exactly come out of nowhere.

But there's an interesting wrinkle here. Pastrnak is coming off a season in which he reached 100 points for the fourth consecutive year. That's pretty remarkable. The strange part is how he got there.

Pastrnak’s Goals Went Down. His Assists Went Way Up.

Pastrnak scored just 29 goals in 2025-26 after putting up at least 40 in each of the previous four seasons. That's quite a drop for a guy who has made a career out of putting pucks in the net. But here's the funny thing: he still had 100 points.

Pastrnak handed out 71 assists last season, a career high, and that basically made up for the missing goals. He also played a career-high 20:39 per game, although his 261 shots were well below the 312-plus he had recorded in each of the previous four seasons.

So this wasn't really a case of Pastrnak disappearing. It was more like his game changed. And now the Bruins are putting the captain's letter on his jersey.

Does the Captaincy Change the Conversation for Pastrnak?

This is where it gets interesting. Pastrnak has already been one of the faces of the Bruins. He’s been producing at an elite level, playing huge minutes and carrying a substantial offensive load. Now he'll have a little more responsibility around the room and in front of the cameras.

That's not necessarily a bad thing. But being the captain is different from simply being the best player. The Bruins are asking Pastrnak to help lead a team that is trying to find its next identity. And while nobody expects him to suddenly become someone he's not, he will probably get more attention for everything he does.

There's also the hockey question.

Can Pastrnak Get His Goal-Scoring Skill Back?

There's no reason to think 29 goals suddenly define him. His shooting percentage was 11.1 percent last season, his lowest since 2020-21. He also took 51 fewer shots than he had in each of the previous four seasons. If some of those shots start finding the net again, the goal total could look quite different.

Boston is expected to have Pastrnak on its top line with Elias Lindholm and newcomer JJ Peterka. That gives the new captain some pretty good company. So maybe that's the real story here. Pastrnak doesn't need to prove he's a star. That's already been established.

Now he gets to find out what it means to be the guy wearing the C. And maybe, along the way, he can find a few more goals, too.