Pastrnak not worried about 'nagging' knee injury
David Pastrnak joined his teammates at Boston Bruins training camp for the first time Monday and said the week he took off the ice to deal with knee tendinitis is nothing to be concerned about.
"I played with that the whole year last year, so I wouldn't be too worried about it, obviously," Pastrnak said, per NHL.com's Amalie Benjamin. "I spent a lot of time in the summer to make it better, and it did get much better than it was last year. Obviously it wasn't perfect (and) it's not perfect yet, so it was perfect timing to try to get it even better - it already got better.
"Like I said, nothing too concerning. It's just something that's nagging me for a very long time."
Pastrnak showed no ill effects last season, appearing in all 82 games and ranking fourth in league scoring with 106 points - 49 higher than any other Boston skater.
He's unsure if the injury will hold him back in 2025-26.
"I guess (it's) just something that time will tell," Pastrnak said.
Pastrnak's led the Bruins in scoring the past three campaigns and will be tasked with carrying the offense again as they look to rebound from last season's 28th-place finish. The B's hired Marco Sturm as head coach in June but didn't make any major changes to the roster.
Viktor Arvidsson, Tanner Jeannot, and Mikey Eyssimont were Boston's most notable additions over the summer.
The Bruins begin their season Oct. 8 against the Washington Capitals.