Pavel Zacha's name has been in trade talks since last season, but the Boston Bruins haven't pulled the trigger on a deal for the Czech forward. Call it a lack of good return from the inquiring teams or a lack of interest in actually trading Zacha from the front office, but he was the one player who avoided the 2025 trade deadline selling spree.
The Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens kicked the tires on Zacha in the offseason, but those talks also died down quickly. While these teams might still be trying to swing a deal, the Vancouver Canucks are now emerging as the favorites to land him.
The Canucks had interest in Zacha for years, even dating back to when the Bruins acquired him in the 2022 offseason. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Zacha move this season because of the haul the Bruins could get for him from a desperate team, but there are also some reasons why Don Sweeney and Cam Neely should exercise some caution before making the final trade call.
1. Pavel Zacha is the prototypical Bruin
If the Bruins are going to accelerate this rebuild and get back into contention, Zacha is the kind of player you can win with in a depth role. He has been punching above his weight for most of his Bruins tenure, but has still managed to put up two 50+ point seasons, and his 47 points last year were still an acceptable level in a down year.
If the Bruins have no desire to contend for a few seasons and don't feel they'll be a desirable place to play after next season, they should trade Zacha. However, with two years left on his deal, Boston might be able to re-sign him on a team-friendly deal after next season to add a dependable two-way center on their third line as James Hagens and Elias Lindholm lead the way in the top six.
Centers like Zacha don't grow on trees, which is why so many teams have interest in him. It also isn't easy to find a more perfect Bruin-style, two-way player, and fans might be more upset to have him missing from the lineup than they think.
2. Zacha is a reliable player, night in and night out
The Bruins have had trouble keeping players healthy, but one constant over the past three seasons has been Zacha. While some might attribute his health to his limited physical play, it's still important to have a player you can pencil in every single night, knowing he'll play with max effort.
Zacha missed four games over the past three seasons for the Bruins, which is a massive victory for the front office after his ability to play every night was one of the questions surrounding him when he came from the New Jersey Devils.
3. Keeping Zacha keeps David Pastrnak happier
I'm not suggesting that David Pastrnak is holding Sweeney's feet to the fire with keeping Zacha. The Bruins' superstar knows how business is done and if a Zacha trade is what's best for the team, then he will accept it. However, as Pastrnak tries to carry the team on his back, trading away a fellow countryman and a close friend isn't the best way to keep his morale up.
Sweeney can also take a look at the bigger picture. The Bruins need more scoring, and another fellow Czechia-born player in Martin Necas could be available in next year's free agency. Necas, Zacha, and Pastrnak have been a dominating force in the last few World Championships, and joining his friends in a massive hockey market might be just what Necas is looking for on July 1.