Felger: Why don’t I like David Pastrnak?
David Pastrnak tallied a hat trick in the Boston Bruins 6-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators at the TD Garden. Pastrnak is now 7th on the Bruins all-time goals list and is on pace to become the all-time leader in goals for the Bruins. On Wednesday’s Felger and Mazz, Felger was questioning why he still has his reservations about Pastrnak as a player.
Why does Felger still have his questions about Pastrnak?
Felger: You can already say at the age of 27, he is one of the great goal scorers in Boston Bruins history. He’s one of the elite goal scorers in the National Hockey League. The last three seasons, beginning in 2021 to now, goal leaders in the NHL Auston Matthews one, David Pastrnak two. The last five seasons, if you want to take it back the last five seasons, leaders in goals in the NHL, Auston Matthews one. Leon Draisaitl two with 215. David Pastrnak three with 213. He’s probably going to catch him. In the last two years, the NHL leader in goals from the beginning of last season to now, David Pastrnak one, Auston Matthews two. You have one of the great goal scorers in the National Hockey League currently. You have one of the all time great goal scorers in Boston Bruins history already, and he’s just 27. Why don’t I like him? Why don’t I like him?
Felger: So he’s now at 44 goals for the year. He has now hit the 40 goal mark three straight times. Cam Neely never did that. The last guy to have a 40 goal season three straight years was Rick Middleton. 1984 I think was the third of the three years. So it’s been 40 years since a Bruin has scored like this, that consistently, he’s already surpassed Neely as a goal scorer. I mean, just as a pure goal scorer. I mean of course obviously as a hockey player we would all take Cam Neely. Ten times out of ten. As a goal scorer, Pastrnak is already greater than Cam Neely. And yet I just have this reservation about this player. I just, I’ve not fully bought in to David Pastrnak. I find myself more agitated with him than I am happy with him.
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Recent Boston Bruins draft picks that turned into busts
The Boston Bruins have seen a ton of success in the NHL Entry Draft since the turn of the century. They’ve seen picks like Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Krejci help lead their team to a Stanley Cup. They’ve also seen guys like David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy develop into stars on the current roster. They’ve even seen guys like Phil Kessel and Dougie Hamilton see success in Boston and then ask for trades out of the city, which has brought in more picks for them! However, not all of their picks in the last 25 years or so have been hits. The Bruins, much like any other team in the NHL and professional sports, have had their fair share of busted draft picks.
Below is a list of “bust” draft picks made by the Bruins in the 1st and 2nd rounds of the NHL Entry Draft dating back to 2007.
Zach Hamill – 8th overall – 2007
BOSTON, MA – DECEMBER 19: Zach Hamill #52 of the Boston Bruins skates against the Montreal Canadiens at the TD Garden on December 19, 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
The Bruins took Zach Hamill one pick before the San Jose Sharks grabbed Logan Couture in 2007. Hamill turned out to be a complete bust in Boston, as he only appeared in 20 NHL games and registered only 4 assists. The former 1st round pick left the U.S. in 2014 to play in Europe and never returned. He last appeared in a professional game during the 2020-21 season.
Jordan Caron – 25th overall – 2009
MONTREAL, QC – MAY 6: Jordan Caron #38 of the Boston Bruins skates against the Montreal Canadiens in Game Three of the Second Round of the 2014 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre on May 6, 2014 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Francois Laplante/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images)
Jordan Caron saw a longer NHL career than Hamill, but it wasn’t too much better. Caron spent parts of five seasons with Boston and registered 12 goals and 16 assists in 134 regular season games. He was ultimately traded to Colorado at the 2016 NHL trade deadline in a deal that brought in Maxime Talbot and Paul Carey.
Jared Knight – 32nd overall – 2010
UNIONDALE, NY – SEPTEMBER 12: Jared Knight #50 of the Boston Bruins skates against the New York Islanders during a rookie game exhibition at Nassau Coliseum on September 12, 2011 in Uniondale, New York. The Bruins defeated the Islanders 8-5. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
The Bruins drafted Jared Knight with one of the picks that they acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for the rights to Phil Kessel. You can sometimes look at an early 2nd round selection as an extra 1st round pick, which in this case makes him more of a bust. Knight never made an NHL regular season appearance and could barely produce at the AHL level. He was ultimately traded to the Minnesota Wild organization in 2015 and hasn’t appeared in professional hockey since 2017.
Alexander Khokhlachev – 40th overall – 2011
BOSTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 22: Alexander Khokhlachev #76 of the Boston Bruins carries the puck with pressure from Nate Schmidt #88 of the Washington Capitals during the third period at TD Garden on September 22, 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The Bruins took Alexander Khokhlachev early in the 2nd round in 2011 but he never lived up to the hype. The Russian center only saw 9 games of NHL action over the span of three seasons. He left the U.S. in 2016 for his native country and hasn’t returned since.
Malcolm Subban – 24th overall – 2012
BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 25: Malcolm Subban #70 of the Boston Bruins makes a save against Minnesota Wild during the second period at TD Garden on October 25, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
I remember my excitement when the Bruins took the younger brother of one of the biggest players in the Bruins/Canadiens rivalry of the early 2010’s. However, we never got to see them face off in the rivalry, and that was partly due to Malcolm Subban never really making it in Boston. The 1st round goalie appeared in two total games with the Bruins and posted a 5.82 GAA and a .727 save %. His time in Boston came to an end when he was claimed off waivers by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017.
Jakub Zboril – 13th overall – 2015
Nov 26, 2021; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Jakub Zboril (67) during the first period against the New York Rangers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Jakub Zboril was Don Sweeney’s first draft pick as the Boston Bruins general manager and it turned out to be a bust. I will always hate that 2015 draft, but Zboril was expected to go in the middle of the first round so you can’t really blame Sweeney and co. for this one compared to others. Between 2020 and 2022, Zboril showed some signs of breaking out, but a knee injury derailed him and he hasn’t been able to get back to that level.
Zach Senyshyn – 15th overall – 2015
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 02: Zach Senyshyn #19 of the Boston Bruins looks on during the third period of the preseason game against the New York Rangers at TD Garden on October 02, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Zach Senyhsyn was the 3rd of 3 consecutive first round picks for the Bruins in 2015 and the second bust (Jake DeBrusk was not a bust). When the Bruins took Senyshyn it took a lot of people by surprise and rightfully so. The former 1st round pick only played in 14 games for the Bruins and had a goal (it was an empty-netter) and 2 assists. The Bruins traded him to the Ottawa Senators at the 2022 trade deadline, where he went on to play just 2 games with the Sens. He currently plays in Germany.
Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson – 45th overall – 2015
TORONTO, ON – NOVEMBER 26: Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson #23 of the Boston Bruins skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on November 26, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Bruins 4-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
The Swedish center spent two years at Boston University and then turned professional in 2017. He appeared in 29 games for the Bruins and tallied 3 goals and 6 assists. Forsbacka-Karlsson left the U.S. to attend to family reasons and hasn’t played professional hockey since 2021.
Jack Studnicka – 53rd overall – 2017
MONTREAL, QC – MARCH 21: Jack Studnicka #23 of the Boston Bruins skates against the Montreal Canadiens during the second period at Centre Bell on March 21, 2022 in Montreal, Canada. The Boston Bruins defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
The 2017 2nd round pick was given opportunities at the NHL level in Boston but he could never fully hang on. Studnicka appeared in 38 games across 4 seasons for the Bruins and picked up just 1 goal and 6 assists in his time with the Bruins. He was ultimately traded to the Vancouver Canucks, who then traded him to the San Jose Sharks earlier this season. He’s picked up just 5 goals and 4 assists in 61 games with the Canucks and Sharks.
Left off the list – Joe Colborne – 16th overall – 2008
OTTAWA, ON – JUNE 20: 16th overall pick, Joe Colborne of the Boston Bruins poses with team personnel after being selected in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft at Scotiabank Place on June 20, 2008 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
I left Joe Colborne off the list for a big reason…he was used in a package that brought in Tomas Kaberle and never really had time to prove himself (or even fade away) in the Bruins system. Based on his NHL career he can be looked at as a bust, but he seems like another team’s problem to me.
