Will David Pastrnak Win the Richard Trophy?
David Pastrnak is putting on one of the most impressive scoring displays in recent memory. Since the departure of Tyler Seguin in a trade that brought Loui Eriksson to Boston, the Bruins haven't had a pure goal scorer on their roster. Forwards like Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Krejci, Nathan Horton, Marc Savard, Milan Lucic and more, were always credited with being either two-way forwards, power forwards, or playmakers. Acquiring a player who's primary strength is scoring goals has been a request of Bruins fans for many years, and they could possibly have the best goal scorer in the league in Pastrnak.
Currently, Pastrnak has 35 goals on the season. Pastrnak's highest goal-scoring season was last year with 38 goals in 66 games. He currently is three goals away with 37 games remaining in the season, and is on pace for 64 goals, which would be the most goals scored by a single player since Alex Ovechkin, who had 65 goals in 2008. So, in short, it hasn't been done in 12 years.
Currently trailing Pastrnak in the goal-scoring rankings is Auston Matthews with 31 goals, Jack Eichel with 27 goals, and Alex Ovechkin and Nathan Mackinnon, who both have 26 goals. It's safe to say that Pastrnak is the favorite to bring the Maurice Richard trophy home.
It's important to mention that in addition to Pastrnak's impressive goal scoring, he also displays a lot of additional intangibles to his game. He's added significant size since being drafted by the Bruisn 25th overall in the 2014 draft, and has added a fair amount of grit to his game. Additionally, his playmaking abilities make him a much larger threat than his greatest asset, which is goal scoring. The fact is, Pastrnak is developing into one of the best players in the league, hence being named the captain of the Atlantic Division in this years' All-Star game.
All indications point towards Pastrnak continuing to develop his scoring abilities, and keeping a consistent pace in terms of his production. If it plays out this way, the Boston Bruins will be a force for years to come.