Shinzawa: David Pastrnak’s $90 million contract with the Bruins is GM Don Sweeney’s latest artwork

For the Bruins, the easy part was handing David Pastrnak an eight-year, $90 million offer. The hard part was convincing the superstar that signing it was the right thing to do.

It sounds silly to think that earning $11.25 million a year could give any player second thoughts. But consider the situation Pastrnak found himself in on June 6, 2022:

• Coach Bruce Cassidy had been fired. Pastrnak and Cassidy had gotten along. Cassidy had optimized Pastrnak’s offensive game, from playing him with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron to making him the primary shooter on the No. 1 power-play unit.

• The futures of Bergeron and David Krejci were unknown. Bergeron was coming off elbow surgery. Erik Haula and Charlie Coyle were atop the depth chart at center.

• Jake DeBrusk wanted out.

• Marchand had undergone double hip surgery 10 days earlier. Doctors expected him to be out until late November.

• Three days earlier, Matt Grzelcyk (shoulder) and Charlie McAvoy (shoulder) had been operated on at Massachusetts General Hospital. Grzelcyk would be due back in early November. McAvoy would be out until early December.

It could have been very easy, then, for the Bruins to tumble off the rails at that time. This would have made Pastrnak’s decision easy. He would have kept his pen off paper until he settled on a more competitive team, either via a trade or reaching unrestricted free agency.

Instead, general manager Don Sweeney held the steering wheel firm when potholes were everywhere.

Less than eight months later, the Bruins are best in show. Pastrnak is a big reason for their success, on pace for his best offensive season yet with a team-high 42 goals and 80 points in 60 games. But the right wing’s goal-scoring prodigiousness is not the only factor. 

Sweeney’s team-building brilliance stands above it all.

First, on July 1, Sweeney hired Jim Montgomery as Cassidy’s replacement. It was an ideal hire. The Bruins are playing freer under Montgomery. He has awakened the five-on-five offense while overseeing defensive stinginess.

Twelve days later, Sweeney traded Haula to New Jersey for Pavel Zacha. The Bruins were so pleased with Zacha’s smarts, versatility and projected future that on Jan. 14, they signed him to a four-year, $19 million extension. Zacha and Pastrnak, former teammates for Czechia during international competition, have hit it off on the No. 2 line.

On July 8, Sweeney brought Bergeron and Krejci back for 2022-23. This set everything right, and not just for the top two lines. It slotted Coyle on the third line. This is Coyle’s optimal position. 

Bergeron and Krejci have not looked their ages. Bergeron is doing his usual thing, whether it’s scoring or Selke-level defending. Krejci dished out three assists in his 1,000th career game. Pastrnak said Krejci has been like his big brother.

With Cassidy out, DeBrusk canceled his trade request. He returned a happier player. It has shown in his play. He has been a first-line difference-maker. 

Sweeney’s best work with DeBrusk, though, occurred while his trade request was active. The GM did not move DeBrusk for the sake of fulfilling his wishes. He also signed DeBrusk to a two-year, $8 million extension to offer security to any suitors. That deal is a bargain.

All of these moves, though, would not have meant anything if the Bruins had taken an early tumble while their lineup was compromised. The early absences of Grzelcyk, Marchand and McAvoy, though, did not matter. Everything came together at the start: Montgomery’s coaching; the play of Bergeron and Krejci; offensive contributions from Zacha and DeBrusk; and good blue-line work from Hampus Lindholm and Connor Clifton, among others.

To the last point, Lindholm was the difference. Having the do-it-all left-shot defenseman from the beginning of the season was critical. The ex-Duck was more settled after a full training camp and some time living in Boston than he was upon his incorporation last year, which was interrupted by knee and head injuries.

Again, Sweeney did his finest work beforehand. First, he traded John Moore, Urho Vaakanainen, a 2022 first-round pick and second-rounders in 2023 and 2024 for Lindholm. He then signed Lindholm to an eight-year, $52 million extension. Lindholm has been the Bruins’ best all-around defenseman. Since then, Sweeney has acquired Dmitry Orlov, Garnet Hathaway and, on Thursday, Tyler Bertuzzi. The Bruins are going Cup hunting.

All this work, in other words, didn’t just set the table for what has been an unprecedented 2022-23 season. It also optimized the Bruins for the future. It was a master class not just of team-building but of a sales pitch to Pastrnak. Even if Bergeron and Krejci say goodbye, the pieces are in place for continued excellence for a good part of Pastrnak’s extension.

Montgomery will be here for a long time. Lindholm and McAvoy are signed through 2030. Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman are the best 1-2 tandem in the league. Zacha could be Pastrnak’s center for the next four years. Coyle, DeBrusk, Taylor Hall and Brandon Carlo are good complementary core players.

Sweeney deserves a hand for all of it.

(Photo of David Pastrnak: Winslow Townson / USA Today)