Bruins Fielding Trade Calls On Pavel Zacha

Tuesday, August 18, 2026 ,
Pavel Zacha just posted the best season of his career, and it's turned him into a trade chip.

Per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, the Boston Bruins have been listening to offers on Zacha, even as their preferred path remains signing him to an extension. 

"In a market starved for centers, the Bruins are listening on Pavel Zacha, which is an intriguing name to say the least," LeBrun wrote. "There's a big difference between listening and wanting to move him, though."

Montreal Coming Up As The Landing Spot

No team has been connected to Zacha more consistently than the Montreal Canadiens. 

Multiple reports throughout the year have named Montreal as a serious suitor, with one RG source describing real interest dating back months. "The Canadiens definitely have interest in Zacha and have inquired about him, but they're not the only team," the source said, adding that the Calgary Flames have also called.

At 6-foot-3, left-shot, and strong in the faceoff circle, Zacha would immediately give Kent Hughes a legitimate second-line center to pair with Nick Suzuki, solving a hole the Canadiens have been trying to fill all offseason.

What It Would Actually Cost

The Athletic's Fluto Shinzawa laid out the price in a recent mailbag: a first-round pick and a prospect. Montreal has the draft capital to make that work, but Shinzawa's reporting came with a catch, noting the price only makes sense if an acquiring team gets some assurance Zacha isn't just a rental before his contract expires next summer.

Zacha carries an eight-team no-trade list and is playing on a bargain $4.75 million cap hit this season before hitting unrestricted free agency in July 2027, meaning any team giving up real draft capital wants either permission to negotiate an extension or confidence they can keep him beyond this year.

Islanders And Devils Have Also Surfaced

Beyond Montreal, other fits have been floated as the offseason has gone on. 

Zacha began his career with the New Jersey Devils before Boston acquired him in 2022, and while a Devils reunion has been mentioned given New Jersey's need for a reliable middle-six center, it's unclear whether he'd actually want to go back. 

The New York Islanders have also come up as a preseason landing spot, given Zacha's familiarity with that part of the country from his Devils days.

Sweeney has publicly described extending Zacha as his goal, and LeBrun's reporting indicates Boston's real priority is locking him up rather than moving him, even while the front office fields the calls coming in. The Bruins have eight players over 25 already signed to long-term deals, which complicates how much more term they can realistically add.

Zacha posted 30 goals and 65 points in 78 games last season, both career highs, giving Boston every incentive to try to keep him.

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