On Wednesday, Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney met with the media two days before the NHL Entry Draft in Buffalo, and then free agency begins in one week.
Some decisions are looming for Sweeney and the Bruins when it comes to what to do with their first -round pick on Friday night at No. 23. Will they trade it or keep it? If they keep it, what position are they going to look to address?
Over the last couple of days, there has been a lot of movement throughout the NHL in terms of trades, including players and draft picks. There have been some blockbuster ones, and there was one on Wednesday that Sweeney should have paid close attention to.
Bruins get potential look at new Pavel Zacha contract
Center Pavel Zacha has been the subject of trade rumors for about a year. However, there is more trade chatter surrounding him, and Sweeney tried to squash those rumors a bit on Wednesday, saying that extending him is his preference this summer.
Read More: Bruins' GM Don Sweeney made a crystal clear stance about any potential upcoming trades
If they do, they've got a pretty idea as to what it could look like. The Buffalo Sabres trade Alex Tuch in a sign-and-trade to the Washington Capitals. Tuch agreed to an eight-year deal with a $10.5 million AAV. Why is this tied to Zacha? Well, Tuch finished the season with 33 goals and 33 assists. Zacha had 30 goals and 35 assists. Zacha had one less point, but he's a center, and centers are being sought.
So what does that mean for the Bruins? It means that Sweeney is going to have to pay Zacha. He currently has an AAV of $4.75 million, which means there's a serious bump in pay coming his way. Now the question is, do Sweeney and the Bruins truly want to lock him up for a long time? They are going to have to pay. If they don't, then trading him is the route they need to go.
When they acquired Zacha from the New Jersey Devils, they struck gold, and he has become a key piece to the lineup in all situations for the Bruins. Now he's going to look to get paid, and the question for Sweeney is whether that happens in Boston or somewhere else.
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