David Pastrnak is stepping into the Bruins captaincy with his own blueprint, and he’s not pretending otherwise.
The 30-year-old forward will become the 28th player to wear the “C” in Boston Bruins history, and he made it clear after Sunday’s practice at Warrior Ice Arena that he has no interest in trying to imitate the captains who came before him. The standard in Boston has been set by names like Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron, but Pastrnak said the job won’t change who he is.
“I’ve been grateful my whole career to be learning from some unbelievable leaders and amazing hockey players and human beings,” said Pastrnak after Sunday’s practice at Warrior Ice Arena. “I couldn’t be more prepared for this and I’m really excited for the responsibility, challenge. I’m ready for it.
“Everybody is different and everybody has to find their own way of leading. You can’t try to be someone else. It doesn’t work.”
That approach fits the path he’s already taken in Boston. A year ago, after Brad Marchand was traded to the Florida Panthers, the Bruins turned to Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy as their top leadership voices. The arrangement functioned well during a 100-point playoff season, with the two veterans supporting one another at the top of the room.
Pastrnak’s influence only grew from there. Even in a 2024-25 season that went off the rails, he kept carrying the load in the final months, and by last spring’s playoffs it was obvious he was setting the tone inside the dressing room.
Now the Bruins are asking him to do that in a more formal way, while still leaning on a group around him. McAvoy remains central to the leadership picture, and Boston also has support from Nikita Zadorov, Morgan Geekie, Hampus Lindholm, Tanner Jeannot, Fraser Minten and others.
For Pastrnak, though, the timing feels right. He’s coming off four straight 100-point seasons, he’s 30 years old, he’s a father of two, and he has spent a decade building a life in Boston as the franchise’s most recognizable scorer. The Bruins are looking to him not just for production, but for the voice that comes with being the face of the team.
“For us, nothing is changing here,” said Pastrnak. “We’ve been as a group of leaders here always when I’ve been here and the guys before me, they always had it as a group leadership.
It’s not gonna change, even if I’m captain. The reason I’m sitting [here] anyway is because of those guys, so we’re gonna work as a team.
We continue to do that and make sure that everybody feels comfortable and welcome. It doesn’t matter if you’re a rookie or a 10-year veteran.
You are always welcome here and you have a voice in this room, no matter if you have a letter on or not.”
Bruins coach Marco Sturm has described Pastrnak’s style as different from Chara and Bergeron, and more in the mold of Alex Ovechkin - a colorful personality who still carries real weight in the room. Sturm pointed to Ovechkin’s role in Washington’s Cup run as an example of how that kind of leadership can work.
“He’s definitely not a Chara and not a Bergeron as a leader, but that’s OK,” said Sturm, who played with both captains during his time as a player on the Black and Gold. “I said that in the past. He’s a different kind of leader, very, very positive, always with a smile, always has an ear open for everyone.”
Management sees the same growth. Don Sweeney and Cam Neely have watched Pastrnak develop from the NHL’s youngest player as an 18-year-old rookie into the veteran leader now taking over the captaincy. Neely called it a strong choice for the franchise and said the Bruins have a solid leadership base around him.
“Watching David grow over the last number of years, I think it’s a great choice for the franchise,” said Neely. “We have a strong leadership group including Charlie McAvoy, obviously Hampus [Lindholm], [Nikita] Zadorov is in there and they’ve added [Morgan] Geekie and [Fraser] Minten and [Tanner] Jeannot, so it’s a great, strong leadership group. I think they’re in a really great position to build off the foundation of last year.
“I think they did a really good job of setting that foundation and now it’s about building off that and improving from that. We’ve added some new bodies, so we’re excited about some skill and speed in the lineup in addition to being a hard out. I think it’s going to be a great hockey season for the franchise.”
Pastrnak has long been the easygoing face of the Bruins, the kind of star who still laughs with referees and carries himself with the same energy that has made him one of the league’s most recognizable players. But there have also been moments that showed another side, including the playoff moment when he challenged Matthew Tkachuk to a fight.
That’s the version Boston will now ask to lead every day: the scorer, the tone-setter, and the captain guiding the Bruins into their next chapter in his own way.
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