Pastrnak is currently the only Czech captain in the NHL. In the previous two seasons, Anaheim defenseman Radko Gudas held the same honour, but he signed with Florida for the 2026/27 season.
The Havirov native has played for Boston since the 2014/15 season and is already among the highest-scoring players in the history of the Massachusetts club.
The team's last captain was Brad Marchand, whom the club traded to Florida in March 2025. Boston played last season with assistant captains only.
The possibility that Pastrnak could take on the prestigious role was inadvertently revealed recently by English football club Tottenham on social network X.
Four captaincy positions therefore remain unfilled ahead of the new season, with Columbus, Detroit, Ottawa and Vancouver still waiting for players to wear the 'C'.
Pastrnak, whom Boston drafted in 2014, has so far played 833 regular-season games for the team in the NHL, recording 420 goals and 513 assists. His 933 points make him the sixth-highest-scoring player in franchise history, while he ranks fifth in goals.
In 2020, he won the Maurice Richard Trophy as the NHL's top goal scorer alongside Alexander Ovechkin of Washington. He has been selected to the All-Star Game four times. In Boston, he is in the midst of an eight-year, $90 million contract that runs through 2031.