Since trading Brad Marchand at the NHL trade deadline, there’s been a vacancy at captain for the Bruins.
In a new fan survey at The Athletic, 81.9% of respondents believed Boston should have a new captain next season. David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy are the two most obvious candidates, as they’re the most talented and longest-tenured players on the roster and both wear the “A” when healthy.
The fans have a clear favorite among them though.
With those two as choices for the next captain, Pastrnak took 71.2% of the vote, while McAvoy got just 28.8% in The Athletic survey.
In a lost season for the Bruins, Pastrnak kept showing up. The winger played all 82 games, scoring 43 goals and 63 assists, and kept bringing it even when the playoffs were long gone. In Boston’s final 10 games, Pastrnak scored 9 goals and added 13 assists.
“I thought David was the best player in the NHL down the stretch and I don’t think I’m stepping out of line in say that,” McAvoy said. “He was incredible.”
McAvoy was sidelined for the season with a shoulder injury that he sustained in the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off in February, but raved about what Pastrnak brought behind the scenes following trades of Marchand, Charlie Coyle and Brandon Carlo.
“(Pastrnak) led by example. He led by — from what I’ve gathered — more vocal than he’s normally been,” McAvoy said. “He did everything he could have possibly done to help this team. He did it. It was a joy to watch every night. Were the (team) results there? No. You guys were watching the same stuff that I was unfortunately watching as well.
“But I think he’s to be commended for the way that he handled himself post-deadline, at a time when we all were feeling a certain way. Like everybody. He had a hockey game the next day as well as another 15 or 20 after. He did exceptional in all of them while being asked to do more than he’s had to do. I can’t say enough good things about what Pasta did for this team down the stretch.”
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