The early season struggles of David Pastrnak are becoming apparent to both the player and the club, with both wondering if the player doesn't fit within the system in Fort Erie.
Many wondered at the time of acquisition how it would work with both Pastrnak and Marner on the team, as both are top 3 right-wingers in the CCHL. Could they each play for 20 minutes? What does that leave for a guy like DeBrincat or Pavelski? It just didn't leave much room for somebody to underachieve, and through the early part, it's been Pastrnak.
That's not to say the opportunity hasn't been there for the big sniper. He's third on the team in shots on goal but has yet to find chemistry with Barkov, Strome, Pavelski, or any of the talented centers he's played with thus far in Fort Erie.
"Pasta's had a lot of looks and been good for the most part. I believe it'll start going in for him soon as he's historically not a 7% shooter but how he plays and how our team plays, stylistically, it may not be a great fit," said Falcons GM Matt Young.
"There are times historically in the game, where guys don't thrive being on a secondary scoring line and find the same success they have when they know they are 'the man' and I think that's what's happening here. We are certainly not taking ice time away from Mitch (Marner), who leads this club in scoring almost every season," added the remarkably good-looking GM.
When pressed to say whether Pastrnak is on the market or not, Young replied that he's definitely open for business if he can get a high-end center or defenceman back.
"We are definitely open to exploring a scenario that helps our hockey club. I'm very open to moving him for a center that's high-end offensively or with a great two-way game. The same goes for acquiring a defender. That's easier said than done. Five years ago people tended to take more risks if it addressed a need for their team, whereas today, people are a lot more conservative. Nobody wants to 'lose' a trade but I think it's far more complicated than evaluating today what it looks like on paper. I'm just hoping to find a trade partner with conviction to turn a weakness on their team into a strength by using a surplus of assets they have at a position."
Young added "I thought some of this would be addressed with Wright and Byfield by this point, but both are developing at their own pace, and we need to let that happen. We can't rush these guys because eventually, they will be important players on this team but their development, and doing it the right way takes precedence over a short-term fix."
One way or another, it seems that things will change for Pastrnak soon. He will either adapt to being the second option on the right side or become the primary scoring option in another CCHL market.
The challenge of course for Young is trying to make a deal in this challenging trade climate.
Update to the story: In the following game, Pastrnak was named first star in Fort Erie's 5-4 shootout victory against Florida.
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