David Pastrnak of Boston Bruins hopes to see Leon Draisaitl join the team

In Friday’s episode of the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, David Pastrnak, right winger and alternate captain for the Boston Bruins, expressed his desire to see Leon Draisaitl, the star forward for the Edmonton Oilers, don the black and gold jersey of the Bruins.

“I would love Draisaitl … Bertuzzi went to the Leafs. I mean, I don’t know, you guys got me into a tight squeeze right now,” Pastrnak said.

“But as I said, for the Boston Bruins, part of the Original 6, that should be enough to entice you to play here. We’ll see, I think it’s going to be an interesting summer,” Pastrnak added.

Draisaitl, having signed a substantial eight-year, $68,000,000 contract with the Edmonton Oilers back in 2017, is firmly entrenched within the organization.

David Pastrnak’s performance in the finals for Czechia

Czechia defeated Switzerland 2-0 in the 2024 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Prague, with David Pastrnak scoring the game-winning goal in the third period. Pastrnak’s goal at 9:13, his first of the tournament, broke a four-game drought and prompted frenzied celebrations.

After the medals were awarded, Pastrnak said:

“We did it at home. We’ve been waiting for gold for a very long time and it couldn’t have come at a better time. It’s always a big thank you [to the fans]. They did amazing for weeks, and we were so excited to be able to extend it for them to play for the medal.”

David Kampf added an empty-netter, while goalie Lukas Dostal recorded his third shutout with 31 saves. The victory marked Czechia’s first gold since 2010 and their 13th overall. The game played in front of a record 17,413 fans was full of intense action with no penalties. Czech captain Roman Cervenka led with 11 points.

Pastrnak, who joined the team after the Boston Bruins got eliminated from the NHL playoffs, expressed his excitement about playing for the national team.

“This is always so special. (IIHF event) was at home, and I’ve never played at home,” Pastrnak said. “It would be really hard for me to say no. Obviously, when I’m healthy, I will never say no to the national team.”

Switzerland’s Leonardo Genoni made 41 saves but couldn’t prevent the defeat. Despite a strong performance from their NHL stars, Switzerland settled for silver, with Andres Ambuhl becoming the oldest player to win a silver medal at the Worlds.