David Pastrnak Admits Bruins’ Trade Deadline ‘Tough Pill To Swallow’

Don Sweeney made tough decisions to part ways with three key members of the Boston Bruins at Friday’s NHL trade deadline.

First announced was Charlie Coyle to the Colorado Avalanche. Then defenseman Brandon Carlo was dealt to the Original Six franchise and division rival Toronto Maple Leafs. The trifecta, and probably the hardest one for fans to accept, captain Brad Marchand to the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

David Pastrnak played with Coyle for seven seasons, Carlo for nine and Marchand for 11. He lost not only teammates but also friends.

“It’s been a very tough, emotional, sad 12 to 24 hours,” Pastrnak told reporters in Tampa Bay following Boston’s win over the Lightning on Saturday. “A lot of stuff happened in this group. I lost, personally, three really close friends. It’s a very hard pill to swallow.

“Not only did we lose big leaders in this team, but great human beings, guys with families that I was really close to, and been here since day one with them. So, yeah, it was a really tough day yesterday.”

Even though Pastrnak was able to spend some time with his friends before they traveled to their new teams, he wasn’t prepared for how he would feel the next day.

“I’m not going to lie, when I woke up today, I honestly thought it was a dream,” Pastrnak explained. “Yesterday, so much was going on that this morning, the reality really hits.

“I would say, it was a little harder this morning. But, you are still a professional hockey player. You do have a job to do and you have to get the mindset ready and make sure you look forward.”

Along with the hat trick of players who left on Friday, the Bruins also moved Trent Frederic and Justin Brazeau. Of course, as the players left, new players had to be welcomed into the historic Original Six franchise. Sweeney added forwards Marat Khusnutdino, Jakub Lauko and Casey Mittlestadt and defenseman Henri Jokiharju. The four roster additions made their Bruins debut against the Lightning.

“We got some great additions and we have a lot of hockey left,” Pastrnak said. “So, we have to focus on this group right now and make sure we keep getting better.

“I think the last two games were amazing. That’s the way we need to play for the rest of the year. We’re going to win more games than we’re going to lose if we play like this and compete every night.”

The Bruins are two points out of a playoff berth with 17 games remaining in the regular season, but Pastrnak is not ready to count his team out just yet.

“We are here to fight until the end,” he said. “We’re not going anywhere. We’re going to keep battling until the last game and see where it takes us.

“… We are in this together and we’re not losing any hopes. We’re going to miss those guys like crazy and we wish them nothing but the best. … We have a job to do in here and make sure we grow as a team and get wins.”

With Sweeney confirming the Bruins will forgo having a captain for the rest of the season, ready or not — the Black and Gold are Pastrnak’s team now with Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman rounding out key leadership roles in the locker room.

“We’re missing Chucky and Hampus (Lindholm) here, which are a big part of our group,” Pastrnak said. “Definitely missed them yesterday in the hard times like that. But, we do recognize we have a lot of jobs to do and more responsibility.”