- LeBrun says the Bruins have fielded trade calls on Pavel Zacha over the past week
- Boston would rather sign the 29-year-old center to an extension this offseason
- Read below for Zacha’s contract, no-trade list and career-high numbers
The Bruins are taking calls on Pavel Zacha.
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported Friday that Boston has fielded interest in the 29-year-old center over the past week. The team would rather keep him and work out an extension this offseason.
LeBrun laid out the Zacha update in his latest notes column:
Zacha has one year left on his contract at a $4.75 million cap hit. He is signed through 2026-27 and can reach unrestricted free agency after that. His deal also carries an eight-team no-trade list, so he would have a say in where he ends up if Boston decides to move him.
That interest tracks with a thin free-agent market for centers. Teams that expect to miss out in free agency have started calling around early, and a 30-goal center on an expiring deal is an easy name to chase.
Boston is not shopping a depth piece here. Zacha set personal highs with 65 points and 30 goals in 78 games last season, his first 30-goal year, and those 30 goals ranked second on the team.
Special teams drove a chunk of that production. Zacha’s 11 power-play goals were a career high and trailed only Morgan Geekie’s 12 on the Bruins.
One piece of Boston’s offseason is already set, with the team planning to retire Patrice Bergeron’s No. 37 next season.
Keeping Zacha fits the retool the Bruins are building around, so an extension stays the preference. If an offer comes in rich enough before July 1, that could change in a hurry.
