Bruins winger David Pastrnak earns first accolade of season

Contract Year David Pastrnak is off to an absolutely lethal start, and now has an accolade to show for it, as on Tuesday the NHL named Pastrnak the Second Star of the Month for the month of October.

The honor comes with Pastrnak sandwiched between New York’s Artemi Panarin, who was the league’s Third Star of October, and the Oilers’ Connor McDavid, who won First Star honors.

In action for all nine of the Black and Gold’s games to date, Pastrnak not only leads the Bruins with seven goals and 17 points, but ranks second among all NHL skaters with 17 points on the year.

Fittingly, McDavid is one of just four players who has scored more goals than Pastrnak to date (and he’s the only skater with more points), while Panarin is right behind Pastrnak in points and is one of just three players to have dished out more helpers through the opening weeks of the new season.

Pastrnak has been an absolute force, all things considered, with six multi-point efforts through the opening nine games of the new season, including four straight multi-point efforts leading to Tuesday’s honor.

Pastrnak, of course, is in the final year of a contract that comes with a ridiculously affordable $6.66 million cap hit, and is staring down the barrel of unrestricted free agency.

The Bruins remain in near-constant talks with Pastrnak’s camp, which is led by J.P. Barry, but are still looking to find a landing spot when it comes to the final numbers on a contract extension that’ll surely break the bank.