from Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe,

The 21-year-old rink rat would have been miserable working out in the Czech Republic while his teammates prepared for the season in Boston. Bruins general manager Don Sweeney could not afford to have his best finisher miss games, not when every point is critical and postseason qualification is a mandate from his bosses.

So when Pastrnak agreed on Thursday, the first day of training camp, to a six-year, $40 million extension, several agents termed the deal as beneficial for both sides.

The Bruins paid a $4 million premium for Pastrnak over Filip Forsberg (six years, $36 million), his closest comparable. But they tucked Pastrnak’s $6,666,667 average annual value below that of Patrice Bergeron ($6.875 million). Brad Marchand is earning $6.125 annually over his eight-year, $49 million contract, but the left wing’s AAV is $7 million over the deal’s first five seasons, after which his no-movement clause expires. So in that way, Pastrnak is making less per year than Marchand and Bergeron, a pecking order the Bruins believed was important to maintain.

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