David Pastrnak didn’t waste much time turning a reunion with Patrice Bergeron into a full-blown Bruins fantasy.
During Friday’s exhibition in Trenčín, Bergeron was back alongside Pastrnak and Brad Marchand as part of “Zee’s Final Shift,” the farewell event for former Boston captain Zdeno Chara that drew several Bruins legends to Slovakia. The retired center looked plenty lively, too, scoring three goals and flashing the kind of touch that defined a 19-season career in Boston, including a slick backhand finish.
That was enough for Pastrnak to make a playful ask after the game.
According to Boston.com, Pastrnak went up to Bergeron and asked how many goals he had scored. Bergeron, staying in character and brushing off the performance, replied, “Zero.” When Bergeron kept insisting he didn’t know how many goals he scored, Pastrnak hit him with the line Bruins fans probably wanted to hear, too:
“One more year?”
Bergeron laughed off the suggestion, and Pastrnak did as well. There was no comeback hidden in the moment, just a lighthearted exchange between two players who spent nine seasons together and helped define a Bruins era. Bergeron retired in July 2023 after putting together one of the most decorated careers in franchise history, finishing with 427 goals, 613 assists and 1,040 points in 1,294 regular-season games, all with Boston.
The list of accomplishments keeps growing, too. Bergeron, a six-time Selke Trophy winner, helped the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 2011 and later took over as captain after Chara. He’ll be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in November as part of the Class of 2026, and the Bruins have also announced that his No. 37 will be raised to the TD Garden rafters during the upcoming season.
Friday’s exhibition made one thing obvious: Bergeron can still make something happen with a stick in his hands. It did not look like the beginning of an NHL return. Still, Pastrnak’s joke made perfect sense.
The moment also carried another layer, because Pastrnak is now creeping toward Bergeron in the Bruins’ record book. Pastrnak has 420 career goals, leaving him seven shy of Bergeron’s 427.
He could move past his former captain early in the upcoming season. Bergeron sits third in franchise history in goals and points, and fourth in assists, while Pastrnak is already fifth in goals, sixth in points and ninth in assists after his 12th NHL season.
That gap says plenty about where Pastrnak stands now. The 30-year-old winger has become the face of Boston’s current team, but some of his best years came with Bergeron anchoring the middle and Marchand stirring things up on the wing. Together, the three formed one of hockey’s most dangerous lines, blending skill, defense and nonstop pressure in a way that kept the Bruins in the contender mix for years.
Boston has spent the last three seasons trying to replace the massive hole Bergeron left at center. So while Pastrnak’s pitch was clearly made in fun, it also landed because it touched on something real for Bruins fans.
Bergeron isn’t coming back for another run. But for one night in Slovakia, he, Pastrnak, Marchand and the rest of Boston’s championship-era crew gave everyone a reminder of how special that group was.
And after Bergeron scored three times, Pastrnak at least had to ask.
In Other News...
Bruins Future Looks Thinner Than Fans Want To Admit
The long view around the Bruins is starting to look a lot less comforting than the present-day push in Boston might suggest. Corey Pronman of The Athletic took a swing at projecting where every NHL team could land in the 2030-31 standings, and his read on the Bruins was not flattering. The piece examined which current players and prospects might still be around by then, while also circling the bigger question of whether the organizations management and ownership structure can keep the team on a stable path.
Pronmans bottom line was that Boston does not currently project like a team with a deep safety net, thanks in part to an average-at-best roster and farm system. For a franchise that has spent so long trying to stay competitive year after year, that kind of future-facing skepticism is hard to ignore. It also leaves the Bruins facing a familiar modern problem: how to keep winning now without making the pipeline behind the NHL roster look thinner than it already does. [Read more 🡒]
Mason Lohrei Enters Bruins Camp With Real Pressure On His Spot
Mason Lohrei heads into Bruins training camp with the kind of uncertainty that can sharpen a player or unsettle him, and in his case it sounds like it has done a little of both. After a postseason that ended with him on the bench down the stretch, Lohrei is back to focusing on the 2026-27 runway, where he will be fighting for a spot against a deeper group of NHL-caliber defensemen while the Bruins sort out how their blue line is going to look.
There is also the possibility that the picture changes before camp even gets moving. Trade talk around Lohrei has not gone away, and general manager Don Sweeney still has time to adjust the defense corps before the season opener, which means Lohrei is not only competing with the players in the room but with whatever roster decisions come next. For a young defenseman trying to turn frustration into momentum, that is as real a camp pressure point as it gets. [Read more 🡒]
Derek Forborts Fade Says A Lot About Bostons Blue Line Now
Derek Forborts time in Boston followed a familiar arc for a depth defenseman who was asked to provide steady minutes and a physical edge. After signing a three-year deal in 2021, he fit nicely in his first season, but the next two were interrupted by injuries and a shrinking role that made it tough for him to regain any momentum. His departure for Vancouver never really changed the larger picture, either, since his run with the Canucks was limited enough to leave his value in the market a little hazy.
Now, Forbort is still looking for his next landing spot, and the conversation around him has shifted toward whether a professional tryout might be the best way to get back into camp somewhere. For Boston, the idea of a reunion does not make much sense anyway, not with the blue line already crowded and more sorting to do than opening up a spot for a familiar face. [Read more 🡒]