The Boston Bruins made the decision to fire Bruce Cassidy on Monday, signaling the end of his six-year stint as the team's head coach. With Cassidy out, there are rumblings that the Bruins could well have missed their championship window and could be headed towards a rebuild. According to Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic, the Bruins entering a rebuild could lead to the departure of superstar winger David Pastrnak.

With the Bruins seeming likely to hit the reset button, Pastrnak may not be so keen on sticking around to see it through. His contract is due to expire after the 2022-23 season, which may prompt the Bruins to explore a trade.

Via The Athletic:

“A coaching change, surgeries to critical contributors and a pending rebuild will not encourage David Pastrnak to sign an extension with one year left on his deal. In fact, the right wing may be general manager Don Sweeney’s best trade piece to trigger a teardown.”

If the Bruins are truly set to tear everything down, they won't have a more valuable trade piece to deal than Pastrnak. There's not a team in the league that wouldn't be eager to bring the superstar winger on board, and he could fetch quite the haul in a trade, even on an expiring contract.

The 26-year-old will be in line for a huge contract extension at the end of the season, and it might not make much sense for the Bruins to be the team paying him, given the direction they're headed. If GM Don Sweeney does opt to head that route, it would stand to reason that he'd at least explore a potential Pastrnak trade, whether or not one ends up coming to fruition.

Still, failing to find a trade partner for Pastrnak runs the risk of having the superstar leave in free agency next year, so there are some key decisions to be made.