Rask 'sure' Bruins, Pastrnak will reach contract agreement

Tuukka Rask anticipates spending a lot more time with David Pastrnak after they traveled to the other side of the world together this summer.

The Boston Bruins goaltender - who, along with the forward and defenseman Torey Krug, recently went on a tour of China to promote hockey - remains confident Pastrnak will sign a new deal with the club.

"I'm sure they can get this worked out," Rask said Monday, according to Stephen Harris of the Boston Globe. "That's the game nowadays: These young guys, when they come out of their first contract, they've had great success and they want to get paid. That's just the world we live in. I guess sometimes with the cap situations, it can put teams in a tough spot. But I'm sure they can figure it out.

"He's proven he can be top goal-scorer in the league and he wants to get paid. You can understand both sides of it. I have no idea what he's asking, what the situation is. But I'm sure they're going to find a solution at some point."

Rask's comments come two weeks after general manager Don Sweeney said contract talks were stalled in a holding pattern, and on the same day a report from NHL Network's Brian Lawton suggested Pastrnak could be traded.

Pastrnak is a restricted free agent coming off a season in which he recorded 34 goals and 36 assists in 75 games, and Rask's sense is the 21-year-old simply wants to be compensated as a star player.

"He wants to play, obviously," he added, "but he doesn't want to sign a deal that he's not happy with. As a player, you have to be a little selfish. It's a short career and you want to get paid when you have the chance."

Boston's training camp is set to open Sept. 14.

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