Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak is helping the Bruins exceed expectations. He'll be a crucial component of Team Czechia's aspirations at the 2026 Olympics, but is it fair to expect him to carry the squad to a medal?
Boston Bruins star right winger David Pastrnak has once again shown he's the straw that stirs the drink in Beantown.
His 13 goals, 25 assists and 38 points in 29 games this season are helping the Bruins exceed expectations, sitting second in the Atlantic Division.
He'll hope to carry that experience over to the 2026 Winter Olympic Games and help Czechia exceed expectations. But asking him to carry his homeland to glory is not fair to Pastrnak – nor is it realistic.
Now, the Czechs have finished with at least a bronze medal in each of the three most recent World Junior Championships, and at the World Championship, Czechia has first- and third-place finishes in two of the past four years. But it's something else entirely to see Czechia as anything other than a long shot to reach the podium at the 2026 Olympics.
Although the 29-year-old Pastrnak has been a major contributor on the international stage – with 45 points in 43 games at the World Championship and 2016 World Cup of Hockey – asking him to power the Czechs past the favored Americans, Canadians and Swedes is a tall task.
There will be immense pressure on those three men's national teams, and in that sense, Pastrnak and Team Czechia can play without the same intense spotlight. That may help their overall game.
However, who's kidding who here – Pastrnak could be the second coming of Wayne Gretzky, and it would still be a Herculean task for him and the Czechs to vault over deeper and more talented teams that are ahead of them in the Olympic pecking order.
He'll be going up against some of the best defensemen and goaltenders on the planet, including the Canadians in Group A during the preliminary round.
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As for their roster, there are bright spots, but the depth falls off quickly.
Pastrnak, Martin Necas and Tomas Hertl are some of Czechia's top forwards. Filip Hronek and Radko Gudas should lead the defense, and Lukas Dostal is an exciting starting goalie. The Czechs will also have some players who aren't in the NHL right now, unlike the Canadians and Americans and, likely, the Swedes and Finns. So just because we don't anticipate them medaling at the Olympics doesn't mean they don't have the talent to surprise many.
By the time the Olympics are over, we should expect that Pastrnak continues to produce at a point-per-game pace on the international scene, even if the medal is unlikely. But if anyone steers the dark horse to the podium, it will be Pastrnak. And that would be an extremely valuable experience to bring back to the Bruins as they look to rebound from last year's playoff miss.
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