Could the Bruins trade this center during this off-season?
A Boston Bruins star forward is once creating some chatter as a trade candidate to watch.
Lyle Richardson included Bruins forward Pavel Zacha in his most recent NHL trade targets big board for Bleacher Report. Richardson gave the Bruins' top center the No. 6 spot on his latest trade board.
"It's believed the Bruins and Zacha's camp have discussed an extension, but nothing has happened yet," Richardson wrote. "Meanwhile, a June 19 report by The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun claimed the Bruins were fielding calls about Zacha, though he cautioned that didn't mean they were shopping him."
Seeing Zacha make another trade board is not necessarily surprising. The 2015 first-round pick is entering the final season of his contract in 2026-27 and could be worth selling high on if extension talks do not go well between him and the Bruins.
With there not being many notable centers on the trade market, the Bruins could get a serious return for Zacha if they traded him this off-season. He is coming off of a career year that saw him post 30 goals, 35 assists, and 65 points in 78 games. With numbers like these and his strong two-way play, he is a player that many teams would likely love to acquire right now.
However, there is also a clear argument to be had that the Bruins should keep him. Zacha has emerged as the Bruins' best center, and their depth down the middle is weak right now. Trading him would only make it worse.
Furthermore, the Bruins' goal heading into the 2026-27 season is to take another step in the right direction. Trading Zacha, who is one of the Bruins' best players, would make achieving that difficult for the Black and Gold.
Nevertheless, it is going to be very intriguing to see what the Bruins decide to do with Zacha.
