The 2026 NHL off-season is here, and trade rumors around the league are picking up because of it. Now, one of the Boston Bruins' top forwards could be a trade candidate to watch. According to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun [https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7376243/2026/06/19/maple-leafs-pavelski-raddysh-thomas-zacha-ovechkin-nhl-rumblings/], the Bruins are listening to trade offers for Zacha as he enters the final season of his contract in 2026-27. "In a market starved for centers, the Bruins are listening on Pavel Zacha, which is an intriguing name to say the least. There’s a big difference between listening and wanting to move him, though," LeBrun wrote. LeBrun reported that the Bruins' top goal is to sign Zacha to a contract extension, but also noted that trade talks could pick up with the 2015 first-round pick if contract negotiations do not go well. If negotiations do not go well between the Bruins and Zacha this off-season and they trade him, they would certainly be selling high on the 29-year-old. The 6-foot-4 forward just had a career year for Boston in 2025-26, setting new career highs with 30 goals, 35 assists, and 65 points with 78 games. With this and this year's pending UFA centers not being the strongest, the Bruins could get a great return for Zacha if they dealt him. Yet, with the Bruins already being weak down the middle, trading Zacha would create another major hole in their lineup that they would need to address. It will be interesting to see what happens between the Bruins and Zacha this off-season. If the Bruins can sign him to a contract extension once July 1 is here, it would put an end to questions about his future in Boston.
