David Pastrnak’s message after elimination is something every Auston Matthews fan needs to read right now
Photo credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
David Pastrnak admitted that as he gets older, the chance of a Cup gets further away and it's something Auston Matthews and Toronto are starting to realize too.
As the Boston Bruins were eliminated by the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night, it ended things prematurely for the boys in black and gold, with everyone feeling downtrodden after a strong effort earlier in the series.
No one was more disheartened though than David Pastrnak. The star forward was obviously in a state of disappointment after being taken down, and even though he netted a goal — it was the only one for the hapless Bruins.
Pastrnak turns 30 with one Cup sniff and his honesty about wasted time is the most raw quote of these playoffs
After the game, Pastrnak was grilled about his feelings regarding the loss and where his head is at and he was very emotional and very honest about where he sees things right now:
Of course it’s disappointing. I’m turning 30 in a couple weeks. Had one sniff at the Cup so far. It gets harder every single year. … You don’t want to waste any opportunity. What I tell the young guys now like what Bergy (Patrice Bergeron) told me.
When you are younger you look at it differently; they are not 30. The season is a blink of an eye. I remember when I was young the season would feel like forever, but now when you're older with a family and an outside life; it goes by in a blink of an eye.
When you are younger you look at it differently; they are not 30. The season is a blink of an eye. I remember when I was young the season would feel like forever, but now when you're older with a family and an outside life; it goes by in a blink of an eye.
It's probably the most candid take regarding a loss or how age affects players in a long time as we oftentimes see them trying to fight Father Time — not accept it.
But for as good as Pastrnak has been for his career, he's still only ever gotten out of the second round once and if it weren't for some pretty close calls against the Maple Leafs that happened to tip in the Bruins' favour then it could look even worse.
He did end up on the receiving end of some bad luck though as his Cup Finals appearance was overshadowed by Craig Berube and St. Louis' Cinderella story.
For a guy with 933 points and nothing much to show for it, it's understandable why he's a little frustrated.
Matthews turns 29 in September with zero Cups and Pastrnak just described exactly where he is heading
Well that sounds eerily similar to another player who has a ton of personal accomplishments with nothing to show for it: Auston Matthews.
With him being 29 in September, he's not too far away from Pastrnak in age, and with injury concerns already piling up, it's looking like time may be the ultimate equalizer.
Matthews has been through exactly the same ringer as Pastrnak, and although the latter actually made the Cup Finals; there's no reason the Maple Leafs shouldn't have either especially with the lineup they had.
Without a proper plan in place, Matthews is going to end up being 31 when he goes into his next contract, and there's no telling if he'll have strong enough legs to keep up as time goes on. If the goal is winning him a Stanley Cup then they best get on that now.
Which is why it's actually exciting that Mats Sundin and others are looking to change the team for the better because it might be the only way Matthews can fight against Father Time.
As long as he has a Cup — he's already won.
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