David Pastrnak has signed a new £75million ($90m) eight-year deal with the Boston Bruins, making him the most-paid player in franchise history.
The 26-year-old has been exceptional for the Bruins since being drafted 25th overall back in 2014, and with 40 goals already this season he is leading their Stanley Cup charge. The £75m deal sees him move sixth on the all-time list for largest NHL contracts, and he's improved his yearly salary by $4.5m.
Pastrnak signed a £34m six-year deal back in 2017, but with his current contract coming to an end, a new agreement was a major priority for the Bruins. They've now secured their man long-term, on the same day they acquired Tyler Bertuzzi from Detroit Red Wings.
A huge eight-year deal is nothing less than Pastrnak deserves, and now the Bruins can sit back as they've secured one of the best in the business long-term. Since joining the Bruins back in 2014, Pastrnak has racked up 584 points in 570 regular season NHL games, and 74 points in 70 Stanley Cup play-off matches.
The Bruins haven't won the Stanley Cup since 2011, but they are the standout favourites to do so this year. The Bruins set a new league record for being the fastest team to reach 80 points, and they've still only lost eight games in regulation time all season.
With 47 wins, they're miles ahead of the rest as no other team has even reached the 40-mark just yet. And with an eight-game winning streak currently active, they could break more records before the end of the campaign.
The Bruins have also been busy elsewhere before Friday's NHL trade deadline, picking up Bertuzzi from the Red Wings, and also Washington Capitals duo Garnet Hathaway and Andrei Svetlakov. They've given up six draft picks in the process, two of them being in the first-round.
With the likes of Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle in their ranks, the Bruins are aware that now is as good a time as any to try and dominate the league. And with Pastrnak here to stay for another eight years, their odds of a successful era have only increased.
It's almost a foregone conclusion that they'll top the Atlantic Division, and after proving this season how tough they are to beat, they're standout Stanley Cup favourites too. Anything can happen in the play-offs, but things are looking great so far.
