- Boston named David Pastrnak the 28th captain in franchise history on Sunday
- He takes over from Brad Marchand, who was traded to the Panthers in 2024-25
- Read below for how the Bruins made the call and what Pastrnak’s teammates said
The Bruins finally have their captain, and it’s the guy who has carried their offense for a decade.
Boston named David Pastrnak the 28th captain in franchise history on Sunday, ending a vacancy that dates back to Brad Marchand’s trade to the Panthers during the 2024-25 season. The team made it official with a video tracing the “C” through Bruins history, running from Eddie Shore and Ray Bourque to Zdeno Chara and Marchand, before landing on Pastrnak standing alone in the locker room.
Watch the announcement:
He’s the longest-tenured player on the roster, having made his Bruins debut back in 2014-15. Last season he served as one of Boston’s alternate captains alongside Charlie McAvoy, and the two were widely viewed as the top candidates for the job.
McAvoy was asked about the captaincy race during training camp, before the announcement came down. He made clear there was no bad blood over how it would shake out.
“(Pastrnak) would be extremely deserving,” McAvoy said. “Whatever happens, it’s out of my hands, but I don’t think there would be any friction. … We lean on everybody.”
Seniority gave Pastrnak the edge, with two more seasons in Boston than McAvoy. The numbers make an even stronger case. Since his breakout in 2016-17, Pastrnak has scored 420 goals for the Bruins, trailing only Alex Ovechkin, Leon Draisaitl and Auston Matthews across the entire league over that span.
Four straight 100-point seasons followed, along with a Rocket Richard Trophy in 2022-23 on the strength of 61 goals, the same year Boston set the NHL record for wins in a season. His playoff resume holds up too, with 94 points in 96 career postseason games.
Here’s the photo the team posted marking the moment:
Pastrnak takes over a Bruins team that looks nothing like the one Bergeron and Marchand used to captain.
Boston missed the playoffs entirely in 2024-25, then got back in under new coach Marco Sturm only to get bounced by the Sabres in the first round last spring. Buffalo and a rising Canadiens group are both threats to hold off in the same division now. Gino Hard tracked the captaincy speculation building for weeks before Sunday’s announcement, right down to Pastrnak getting outed by his own social media.
He enters his 13th season in Boston already fifth in franchise goals and sixth in points. Johnny Bucyk’s franchise record of 545 goals and Bourque’s mark of 1,506 points are the two numbers left for the new captain to chase.
